And So They Danced
by TR Feigning Innocence
Summary: Chapter Three-Up: After meeting Sesshoumaru, Kag's is not able to concentrate on her dancing. When she gets a mysterious item through the mail and is suddenly able to go back in time again, what will she do to correct her mistakes?
1. Prologue: You've Got To Be Kidding!

((A/N – Odd how I find myself unable to resist all these new story ideas. Anyway, hope you enjoy this new story and can't wait to see what you think of it. Later!))

Prologue: You've Got To Be Kidding

Monday, 2:00 AM

Violet eyes watched the screen with interest as the girl moved, her black tresses captivating as the moved with her. She danced with an easy rhythm and born skill, something he was finding much harder to locate lately. Her moves, though at first surprising, seemed to make so much since as she completed another step. And then she stopped, frozen in place at the same time as the music did, her brilliant blue eyes locked onto the camera, before the music started up again and she slowly started the rhythm again. Quickly and easily she changed the pace, adding a whole new flavor that he felt would look oh so wrong on anyone else. It had been entirely too long since he'd last seen her. His wife would be ecstatic.

He leaned forward in his chair, barely listening to the voice that droned in his ear from the phone he held. Yes, this girl would do perfectly. Exactly the thing that stick in the mud needed, not to mention it would fulfill the requirements of the competition. Smirking, he turned his attention back to the conversation on the phone.

"Kohaku, let me call you back in a little bit. I believe I've just found the solution to our problem."

Without waiting for a response, he closed the phone and turned back to the computer, minimizing the screen with the female dancer and setting to work. Oh yes, this female would definitely be pleasing. There was no way his new plan could go wrong.

Wednesday, 3:24 PM, Metro Cafe

"Yuka," she muttered, leaning her chin on her palm as she pouted, "I still don't understand why we're doing this."

The other woman smirked before leaning forward, a wicked glint in her warm brown eyes. "Because it'll be totally worth it. With this deal, you'll get mega promotions, not to mention more than enough cash to help your family. Besides, you'll thank me. You new partner is totally eye-candy."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she glanced back down at the watch on her wrist. So they were six minutes early. God, how she loathed waiting. She couldn't stand waiting for people or time. Too many things could go wrong.

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and tugged on the too short shirt Yuka had her in. The bright red thing stopped maybe an inch or two below her breast, not leaving anything to the imagination. Her black shorts were better, sticking to her legs and stopping just a little above her knee with two baggy pockets on both of her outer thighs. Clinging to the belt loops of the shorts was a silver chain, clinking gently against the warm metal of the chair. Personally, the only think Kagome liked about the outfit was the shorts. Everything else she couldn't wait to take off and switch for a baggy t-shirt or a sweater. Sadly, Yuka didn't understand this odd part of her and insisted on clothing like what she was currently wearing.

Suddenly Yuka pushed her chair out and stood, a warm smile on her face as she welcomed a man to the table. He was taller than both of the girls with what Kagome guessed was a natural tan and pretty green eyes. He had a piercing in his left ear and his hair was tied back in a low tail at the back of his neck, brushing against the middle of his back. Kagome was surprised when he pulled Yuka into a hug and the other girl returned it, a small smile playing on her lips. So…she knew him? She had to because if there was one thing Kagome knew, Yuka didn't go around hugging random guys…or did she?

Before her speculations could go any further, Yuka was motioning for Kagome to stand. Doing so, she offered her hand for a handshake only to squeak in surprise when the man pulled her into a hug. Tentatively she returned it, patting him awkwardly on the back. Just as she was trying to pull away from him, she felt his hand rub gently against her butt. Blushing furiously, she pushed the man away and slapped him, an embarrassed frown on her lips. "Hentai!"

However, the man did not look at all fazed as he sank down into his chair, a dreamy smile on his tan features. No, in fact, he looked quite happy with his situation. Yuka sent her an apologetic look before sitting as well and motioning for Kagome to do the same.

"Kagome, let me introduce you to your new manager, Roki Senata." At that, the man grinned at her and this time reached his hand out to shake hers. Kagome looked at it before leaning back in her chair, an obvious snub.

And he laughed! The man had the gall to laugh at her! Ohhhh!! Not quite sure how to react, she merely stared at him, not finding anything funny about the situation.

"Forgive me Kagome, I just could not help myself. Such beautiful curves you have. Tell me, how would you feel about--

Before he could get another word out Yuka smacked him in the back of the head, a glare forming on her features as well. "Don't even go there Hentai."

Grinning still, he reached out and snatched Yuka's hand, planting a kiss on her soft knuckles. "As you wish my dear."

After a few minutes of small talk between Yuka and Roki and a confused silence from Kagome, they finally got down to business.

"So where is he?" she asked, glancing around the small café as if he were hiding. Kagome had never really bee into partnerships or any other kind of team dancing but she was curious as to what her new unwanted partner was like, both physical and personality wise. Turning back to Roki, she raised an elegant black brow, waiting for his answer.

This is where he hesitated, before sighing and leaning back into a pout much like Kagome had done earlier, his arms crossed over his chest. He rolled his emerald eyes in annoyance, still frustrated at his friends actions. "He…had other things to do today. He said that he would meet us at the studio later tonight."

Something about the way he hesitated bugged Kagome but from the look on Yuka's face, she decided not to press the matter. "Alright then. Can I at least know his name?"

There was an exchanged look between the two managers, before Yuka nodded minutely; still wondering if this was perhaps the best thing. After all, she'd know Kagome since they met in high school and she knew that the other girl did not take well to people who thought they were better than everyone else. Still, an agreement was an agreement. "He goes by Tashio."

The name, though vaguely familiar, did not ring any bells. She felt as if she should know the name but she could not bring herself to remember. "What kind of dance does he do?"

Another look between the two managers. Come on now, really! It couldn't be that bad. Slumping back in her seat Kagome eyed the two, wondering when they were going to get to the truth already.

"Um…well," Yuka muttered, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she sent a small glare at Roki. "He doesn't exactly….dance…"

Now she was confused. Narrowing her eyes, she leaned forward and rested her arms on the table. This was not the time to be giving her half baked answers. "That's enough. No more little secretive looks and no more giving me half the truth. If I'm going to agree to do this then I need to know everything I can about him and the situation. So spill."

Chuckling slightly, he couldn't' help but to admire the younger girls attitude. "Very well then, Kagome-san. The truth is that Tashio does dance when he feels the need to, but for the most part…he does choreography."

"No, not going to happen. I make my own moves, not follow someone else's."

"And he does ballroom dancing…."

That bit came from Yuka and it helped make Kagome's mind even more. As if she was going to let some ballroom dancing prissy do her choreography. Yeah right! Leaning back again, she sent a scathing glance at Yuka. The other woman _knew_ Kagome didn't like for others to create her moves for her, knew that Kagome thought it felt wrong to do the steps that others designed. It just wasn't right to her.

"Kagome…you need to listen to the rest of it, alright? Before you say know, just listen to what Roki has to say." Yuka's voice was pleading, filled with a tone that made Kagome slump and turn to face the man. She'd never been able to refuse Yuka when she asked like that.

"Fine."

He smiled slightly, before continuing. "As I said, he does Ballroom Dancing and choreography. A couple of weeks ago, he was offered the chance to participate in a contest called Aero's Task. You recognize it, yes? I'm not surprised you do. It's a contest where the best dancers gather and battle it out through their moves to win a prize. This year's prize is a sponsorship and production from one of Japan's top companies, Kaze Dance Productions. As it is every year, it's an exclusive contest, meaning you can only participate if you're specifically invited or if a choreographer that's been invited signs on as their student." Glancing at her, Roki knew he had her right where he wanted her, knew that with his next statement she would agree to do it. "Tashio set me the task of finding him a dancer; he also said that'd pay you for your time seeing as you'd be unable to work because of the amount of practice you'd have to put in."

Kagome was silent, still not quite sure what to do. On the one hand, she really didn't like having to following another person's steps, doing their choreography instead of her own. But on the other, the opportunity this presented for her was amazing. If she were to win, she'd get more deals than she could possibly handle not to mention the pay for those jobs would be beyond anything she'd ever hoped to earn. Her family could use that money…

Studying him for a moment, she nodded, forcing herself to hold back the grimace of following someone else's steps. "Alright. I'll do it."

Her headlights shone starkly against the dark building as she lingered in front of it, hesitating for a reason she couldn't really identify. Her hands were tense on the wheel and the radio was playing a song she remembered as being popular a few years ago but it wasn't now. Huh. But that was the way things went she supposed. Sighing, she leaned back in her seat and shut the car off, before reaching over to the glove box and pulling out a small little bottle of pills. Taking two of them, she swallowed them dry and put them back, before getting out of the car. Time to start this thing.

Grabbing her purse, she closed and locked the door behind her, before slowly making her way to the entrance of the study. His studio. Of course he would have his own studio. Freaking rich person. Sighing and pushing away 

those annoying thoughts, she stepped into the building only to see a large group of women standing in the entryway, muttering under their breath about some kind of security. The moment she entered the building they turned to look at her, some offering threatening stares and others not even bothering to say hello to her.

With a sigh she pushed her way past them and to the side until she came up to the security desk. A young man stood there, his eyes a brilliant green with bright orange hair. Beside him stood a security guard, tall and impassive looking. She wondered if the guard was supposed to be intimidating…turning back to look at the boy for a moment, she wondered why he seemed familiar.

"Um…I'm here to see Tashio-san?" she said quietly, glancing from the boy to the guard, confused as the guard merely shook his head and a smirk formed on his lips.

"So are they," he muttered, motioning to the large group of women now glaring at her because of her announcement. "What makes you any different?"

Scowling, she reached into her shoulder sack/purse and pulled out the envelope she'd received from Miroku. She wondered if he had been expecting something like this to occur. Handing it to the man, she set a hand on her him and glared at him, her blue eyes sparking. "I'm Higurashi Kagome. He called me here to see him. Now, are you going to let me through or not?"

The guard hesitated, before opening the envelope and quickly scanning the short letter. As he finished, his eyes widened and he dropped it, before nodding his head weakly. "I apologize Higurashi-san. I wasn't aware that you were here for that."

As was her nature, she merely nodded and offered up a smile, accepting the apology as if she'd been expecting it. She followed him as he motioned to a door on the other side of the desk, sending one last fleeting glance at the large group of women. She couldn't be sure but Kagome would swear someone called her bitch. Shuddering, she followed the guard into the next room and was surprised when the boy grabbed her hand.

"Come with me Kagome-san. I'll get you set up to meet Tashio-sama."

There was a slight tapping on the floor, _tapty-tap-tap, tapty-tap-tap, tapty-tap-tap_. Upon closer inspecting it was the heeled boot of a young woman tapping against the floor. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her finger beating along with the tap of her heels. A small glance down at her watch had her scowling in frustration. An hour.

She had been sitting in this bright, uncomfortable waiting room for an hour, waiting to meet this Sesshoumaru person. The bastard kept her waiting, sitting here as if she was doing it for her own convenience. Annoyed, she stood and tossed her bag back over her shoulder, heading towards the door. She was not going to be some guys' toy and that included waiting around for her new choreographer.

Just as she put her hand on the door knob and was about to pull it open, the door on the other side of the room opened. Turning around, Kagome could not help but to stare. Eyes the color of whiskey stared coldly at her though she'd swear she could see a bit of amusement in them. He still towed over her, after all these years. If it weren't for the fact that he looked a bit more mature than he used to, Kagome would swear he hadn't aged a day. And of course, he still had the beautiful platinum blond hair tied back in a loose tail. Of course. Then he smiled at her and she was only seventeen again, meeting him behind Inuyasha's back, making him privy to thoughts she'd not shared with anyone else.

"Hello, Kagome."


	2. Counting The Beats

(A/N – Review response at bottom of ch.)

Chapter One: Counting The Beats

She must have passed out. That could be the only reason she would be dreaming about Sesshoumaru. After all, the well was sealed, more than six years ago. She should know. She'd been the one to do it. So it just wasn't possible for him to be here. Not a snowballs chance in hell.

With that dilemma solved, Kagome slowly cracked her eyes open and stared directly into amused golden ones. Well shit. What in the hell was going on? How in the hell was he standing here over her. Maybe she just hadn't woken up yet. Yeah, that was it! She was still dreaming! Reaching an arm up, she pinched herself and winced, before opening her eyes again. Once more she encountered laughing gold eyes.

Deciding that just maybe this wasn't a dream, Kagome sighed and stared up at him, wondering. It had been a while since she'd last seen him, at least six years, plus or minus a couple weeks. Thinking back, she remembered their last encounter starkly.

_(Memory)_

_It was dark overhead, much more so than it had been the past couple of nights. Glancing at the prone humans on the other side of the camp, Kagome knew it was because of the new moon. Inuyasha lay unconscious on the other side of the fire, black hair shining dully from the light as pale fingers ran through the dark locks. His head lay in Kikyo's lap and for the first time since the other woman had joined the group, she looked almost human. Worried. _

_It was hard to believe the gollum still had a little bit of actual emotion left in her. _

_Sighing, she stood and picked up her bow and arrow. A swift nod to the others and then she was gone. Though she was glad they had long since stopped trying to intercept her, Kagome still half wished they would. It hurt just a little that they thought she would be alright by herself. Still, she supposed it was better than having to use spells in order to restrain them so she could make her small escape. _

_As she walked further and further away from their small camp, Kagome could feel his presence, growing stronger with each step she took. The first time she encountered him alone, Kagome had been terrified, caught in her own musings as she twirled and practiced the steps she would have to know for her friend Yuka's wedding. Her mother taught her and in order to remember them perfectly without being interrupted, she would find a small secluded place. _

_But now, after meeting many times over the past couple of years, Kagome could not find even a smidgen of wariness as she approached him. It was times like these that often confused him. After all, he was a great demon lord and she a mere human. It did not make since that she did not fear him. But that too was soon forgotten in favor of the things each learned from the other. It was comforting now to be in his presence, especially on nights such as these when she could feel the small lingering buds of her love for Inuyasha fade. _

_After a good hour of tranquil walking Kagome found herself in a large field, one she knew the little girl child Rin would have greatly appreciated because of the flowers spread throughout the tall grass. Standing on the other edges of it, she saw him, encased in darkness yet also seeming to glow from a natural inner light, deathly elegant. It was humbling to watch him and know she was nothing in comparison, to see this being and know he could kill her in an instant. _

_As she stepped out onto the field, he turned to look at her and she could just barely see his eyes softening, could just barely make out the small, unmistakable smile on his pale face. Offering up a small smile of her own and _

_bowing slightly in greeting, she moved forward to stand next to him and looked up at the sky, wondering what he could find so fascinating. _

"_Miko."_

_She rolled her eyes. "Youkai."_

_Turning back to look at him, she could see the amusement rolling off him. It was still an odd sight to accustom herself to, even after all this time. He never seemed to hesitate when showing his emotions to her, not anymore. And it always seemed to relax her when he did, as if proving he did have them. _

"_Kagome."_

"_Sesshoumaru."_

_And then she sat, her legs folded beneath her and weapon set to the side, in easy reach even though she knew she wouldn't need it, not in his presence. Within seconds he was beside her, staring up at the sky again as if searching for answers that had long remained hidden to him. _

"_There's nothing up there you know, just a bunch of stars."_

"_Inuyasha is human tonight, he is not?"_

_In the beginning of their odd relationship, a question like that would have had her on her feet and running, wondering what he could possibly want with that kind of knowledge. But now she had no such fear, answering just as easily as he had asked. _

"_Yes, he is."_

"_Is it not usually your job to accompany him on such nights?"_

"_Not anymore."_

"_Explain."_

_Kagome smiled softly, turning her gaze up to the star as well. She wanted to feel bitter, perhaps even angry at Inuyasha, but the only emotion she could summon was relief. "Kikyo joined our group not too long ago, maybe four months? Around that time. Anyway, that first month we happened to be attacked on a night such as this and I was forced to leave him in order to fight and protect him. When the battle was over and Sango, Miroku and I came back it was to find Kikyo with him. Ever since that time he's not trusted me to stay with him, counting on her to protect him." _

"_Foolish."_

_Though his replies were almost always one worded and without necessary comment, she was usually able to understand what he was getting at. But this time she could not. _

"_Explain," she muttered, coping a perfect imitation of his voice. _

_His eyes slid to hers and he smirked, once again amused by her. "That the hanyou would give up such protection as a living being in favor of one not breathing is not a wise choice. She could betray you all at any time."_

_Kagome was silent again, taking in what he said. It was true that Kikyo could and probably would betray them at some point in time, but until that time, Kagome was content to put up with her presence, watching what she said around the other woman. _

"_You love him still."_

_His words jarred her out of her thoughts and she turned shocked, incredulous eyes to him. Kagome knew she should have been accustomed to such things from him, knew that she should have known he would guess something like that. _

_And it wasn't so much that she still loved Inuyasha as that there was a part of him that would always remain in her heart, always be there as a fond memory. He was her first love so of course he would stay with her as that one special part of her. _

"_No, not anymore."_

_He was silent again, before turning to face her fully, an odd little look in his eyes. Before she knew what was going on, he had pulled her to him and wrapped one strong arm around her, his lips locked to hers with a silent demand for recuperation. And recuperate she did, her arms hesitantly but warmly wrapping around his shoulders as she kissed him back, needing but not understanding the warmth and security he provided. _

_And then he pulled away from her, his forehead resting against hers as he stared at her intently as if he could decipher the most bewildering puzzles in the world if he stared long enough. Before she could say anything he was gone, leaving nothing but a small crescent moon on a beautiful silver chain._

_(End Memory)_

* * *

"You jerk!" she shrieked, pushing herself up and forcing him to move back slightly as she shook her fist at him. "I can't believe you did that! You stole my first kiss!" Standing now, she was poking him in the chest, a frown on her lips and an angry spark in her deep blue eyes.

Then his lips were on hers again and heat filled her as a hand wrapped gently around her jaw. But she couldn't help herself as she let a small bit of purification pour out of her mouth to burn him. After all, she was allowed to be angry wasn't she, even if it was just a little bit.

Surprised, he jerked back from her, more from shock than from pain. The girl had just purified him. After not having seen her for nearly 510 years, she would try to purify him. Confused, he stepped back and studied her, deaf to her ranting as he ran through his thoughts, wondering why she was so upset.

"Was it not pleasurable?" he asked finally, deciding that maybe she had not been pleased with his kiss.

She sputtered to a stop, utterly derailed by the question. That wasn't what she had expected at all. Confused, she stopped mid-sentence and stared at him, her mouth hanging open slightly before she closed it with an audible click. "Was what not pleasurable?"

"The kiss."

Her cheeks darkened to at least three shades of red from embarrassment and she stared down at her feet, not quite sure how to answer. "It's not that," she said after a minute and at the look in his eyes hurried on before he could say anything. "When you kissed me all those years ago you took my first kiss!"

Sesshoumaru stared at her, not quite sure he heard right. She was so upset because he had been the first one to kiss her? Most women would be happy with that prospect. Frowning, he looked at her again, confused. "I gave you mine as well."

That stunned her into silence, stopping her quiet, indignant ramblings. Glancing up at him again, Kagome could tell he was perfectly serious and her lips formed a perfect 'O' of understanding. Another blush converged on her poor cheeks, eliciting a small smirk from Sesshoumaru.

Narrowing her eyes at the demon lord, she crossed her arms and let out a small frustrated sound and turned away from him. That damn smirk. "That doesn't change anything," she said finally, refusing to look at him.

Before she knew what was happening, two large arms wrapped around her warmly, encasing her in an unfamiliar yet pleasant feeling. She went still under his touch as he pulled her back against his chest and even closer to him. His lips brushed against her ears as he spoke.

"Miko."

It was like falling into a familiar pattern, one she hadn't realized she'd been craving for the past six years. "Youkai."

Kagome could feel his lips form into another smirk against the outer lobe of her ear and it sent a shiver crawling down her spine.

"Kagome."

"Sesshoumaru."

"It has been over five hundred years."

For this she had no response and chose to stay silent, relaxing by minute degrees as she waited for him to piece together whatever it was he wanted to say. Sometimes he would only take a few moments in order to say what he wanted to, others he would remain silent for more than an hour. For the most part Kagome was content to wait, though she wondered if it was really necessary to be wrapped in his arms like this. Not that it was unpleasant.

"Where is the necklace?"

She reached inside her shirt and pulled out the delicate chain, letting the small crescent pendant rest in his large palm. Although he was glad she still had his gift, he was also slightly surprised. Why would she keep it for such a long time? And why was she not yet mated? After 500 years…after 500 years he had not expected the girl to still be alive. But she was. Which brought him to his thoughts over the past five centuries. Releasing her and stepping back, he turned Kagome to face him.

"You have been avoiding this Sesshoumaru for the past five centuries. Why?"

Kagome stared at him quietly, wondering if she should really tell him the truth. Dredging up the past, no matter how much he wanted to know, was going to be painful for her and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to bring it up right away. Letting lose a sigh, she wondered vaguely why this was one of the few things she hadn't told Sesshoumaru about.

"Sesshoumaru, I am a human."

He studied her for a moment, his golden eyes flickering just a little in confusion, before a raised a brow and a small smile played on his lips. "Evidently."

"As in flesh and blood, live till I'm sixty, kind of human. You know, the kind that get all wrinkly and have this weird stench? There's no way that I could have possibly survived five hundred years and still look this young."

Once again confusion flickered in his eyes, but this time he remained silent. There was nothing he could say to that, nothing he could think of to contradict her statement. However, that still left the question of how she managed to not age a day the past few centuries. Even he, Sesshoumaru, had changed, even if it was just a little.

She smiled again, before turning her back to him and walking over to look out the window on the opposite side of the room. Leaning her hip against the sill, she turned to glance at him. "Think about it Sesshoumaru. How oddly I dressed back then, my 'lack of decency,' as you put it. All the odd phrases I was always saying? I was never able to fit in back then, not in that era and certainly not with those customs." She reached a hand up to toy with the necklace, the bright silver shining in the bold, florescent light. Even just holding that lone piece of jewelry seemed to calm her, always, no matter where she was or what she was doing. "All of it though, the clothing, the speech, the different ideas of modesty, it all fits in here, in this time, with these people."

He tried to process her words as she spoke, succeeding and yet still not understanding. She came from the future, yes. He understood that perfectly and thinking back to all those years ago, it made since. Really, it did. What he didn't understand though, what he couldn't possibly understand, the main thing that blew him out of the water: she hadn't told him. Not during any of their many meetings did she tell him the truth about her origins, about her home, her family. In essence, about _herself_. His voice was gruff when he spoke, hiding the anger and hurt he felt. "How long?"

Her whole body tensed as his suddenly stiffened and most if not all of the emotion wiped itself clear from her face. Hesitating for only a moment, she spoke. "Six years."

"Leave."

"Sesshoumaru I—

"Now."

"Please, Sesshoumaru, just listen to me!" She was pleading now, walking forward and reaching out to him. How she wanted to explain herself now. It hurt so much to see such an empty face, to look at him and see nothing, just an indifferent facade. "Please!"

"Get. Out. Now."

Again, she hesitated once, before sighing and moving around him to grab her purse off the couch. She didn't try to reach out to him again as she passed, didn't try to explain again as she opened the door, and didn't look back as it closed behind her. She wanted to though, god did she want to go back and throw her arms around him. It wasn't so much that she was emotionally involved with him as that she was just so glad to see someone from the past, someone that was already beginning to fill up that whole in heart.

And even if she did…like, Sesshoumaru, Kagome wasn't in a position to try and pursue such feelings. Even though she knew that he obviously had such feelings for her, Kagome just wasn't ready to go that far. At least, that's what she told herself as she pushed her way through the crowd of women still standing in the lobby.

_Nine Years Ago_ (Before Kag's and Sess became "friends.)

"_Darn it!" Her voice was filled with contempt as she stopped where she was and stomped her foot in the ground. It was the third time she'd practiced the dance and each time she messed up at the same step. It just wasn't fair! Why did Yuka demand she know this certain dance, anyway?! Yeah, Kagome knew it was for the other girl's _

_wedding, she understood that it was a special occasion, but Kagome was just so much more comfortable with hip-hop dancing than she was with ballroom. _

_With hip-hop, there really wasn't any way to make a mistake. You skipped a stepped then you improvised, the same if you messed up. At least, that was the way she looked at it. She chose not to acknowledge the actual rules of dancing. It just wouldn't be her thing if she didn't get to make up the rules. _

_Sighing, she decided that a change of pace was more than welcome, even if it was only for a few minutes. With a grin, Kagome pulled out her iPod and switched the music rap/R&B and the random setting, before slipping it back into the case on her upper arm. As soon as the beat started she began to move, slowly enough to warm herself up, but quickly enough to catch the rhythm and set her own chorography. _

_Her steps were smooth and concise as her body moved with a more natural tempo. For Kagome, dancing had always been a passion, ever since she was a child. However, it was something only her friends and family on the other side of the well knew of, seeing as there really wasn't any way to dance here, especially with the odd bangs and jarring rings sounds they called music. But now that she had an iPod, courtesy of her mother for her 17__th__ birthday, she had a large amount of music at her fingers whenever she wanted, so long as she didn't kill the battery. Mostly, she only used it for times like now, when she was trying to learn the dance, or for when she was having trouble falling asleep or taking a walk on her own. _

_Kagome ended up dancing in that style for another ten minutes before she noticed the large presence of youkai. She tense at first and almost lost her balance on a certain step, but continued what she was doing, knowing it was better to let the demon think they were undetected than to let them know she was aware of their presence._

_As the music slowed down, Kagome made a show of grabbing her iPod and changing the music back to the classical Yuka instructed her to download, before once again replacing it and allowing herself to slip into the beat as well as the awkward and unusual steps. She wasn't even away of the fact that she made no mistakes this time around. The longer she danced, the more time she took to spread out her miko powers to sense the demon. With just the tiniest bump of auras, Kagome recognized immediately who it was and she totally faltered in her steps, falling on her bum with a soft gasp and her heart beating a mile a minute. As to whether the fast heart rate was from the dancing or the youkai, she wasn't sure._

_She sat where she was, breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath. The aura she'd touched upon, significantly larger than her own and almost twice as powerful, was one she'd hadn't felt in more than a couple of months. Often times while traveling she would get the vague sense of a large youkai, but it never seemed malevolent, so she never mentioned it. Plus, if Inuyasha didn't even notice it, what was the point? She could tell efficiently whether something intended to harm her or her friends. That didn't stop her from being wary, however. _

_As far as she was aware, Miroku was the only one who knew that she wondered off some nights to be on her own. He admitted that he was curious about her outings, but he never pried, merely chastised her for not being more precautious. Carrying a weapon you barely know how to use wasn't exactly the safest thing to do, especially if you're wondering around in an area at night on your own. So along with Keade, he taught her how to make barriers. Surprisingly, just that one activity increased her amount of power and her level of control. _

_Tonight, she was protected by one of those said barriers. At least, she was supposed to be. Spreading her senses again, Kagome double-checked to make sure she'd actually put them in place. Which she had. Sighing, she hesitated for a moment, before withdrawing them and turning to face the youkai that stood a few feet to the left, hidden in the shadows of the huge tree behind him. _

"_Sesshoumaru-sama?"_

_There was no reply as she stared into the darkness, her courage wavering. Could she be wrong? Maybe it wasn't Sesshoumaru but someone with the same strength. Someone who knew of the Shikon no Kirara and wanted them _

_for themselves. She hesitated for just a moment, before pulling the ear buds out of her ears and holding them limply in her hands. "If it's really Sesshoumaru-sama, could you please do something just so I don't freak out on you?"_

_Still there was no answer. Not at first, but as Kagome once again spread her senses out to set the barrier up closer for better protection, there was a soft buzzing before something large and powerful settled itself around her aura. While the feeling should have felt smothering, Kagome merely felt a sense of security, warmth and great power, before the feeling was gone. Recognizing it for what it was, Kagome bowed again. "I am honored Sesshoumaru-sama, that you would allow me to be touched by your yōki." _

_She could sense a small flicker of surprise from the youkai, before once again everything was concealed. As the years passed, Kagome began to realize that perhaps if she acted a bit more respectful to people who were more powerful than her, then just maybe she'd get less death threats. Maybe being the operative word. She supposed now was the time to try it. "Is there…is there anything I can help you with tonight, Sesshoumaru-sama?"_

_Again there was surprise, followed by nothing, before Sesshoumaru slowly stepped into the light, stark though it was. The only thing illuminating them were the stars above and the moon, hidden by clouds and just barely starting a new cycle. Still, he was as bright as ever with his starkly silver hair and snow pale skin. While his hoari was normally red, right now it looked close to black because of the light and it gave Sesshoumaru an even scarier look than normal. Still, she would not let this stop her._

"_You are on my lands." _

_She blinked, contemplating his words for a moment, before nodding. She could understand his need for answers for such a concern. "I apologize for that. I tend to wander a bit further from my group than is probably healthy." She laughed softly and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face subconsciously. Reaching over and fiddling with her iPod, anything to keep her hands busy, she looked at him again. "I'm guessing you want me to leave, huh?" _

_When he didn't reply, she hesitated for only a moment, before wrapping the earphones around the iPod and turning to leave. When she was just about out of the little copse, he called out to her. _

"_What is that?"_

_Turning to face him, Kagome wasn't quite sure how to react. It wasn't often he talked to her and even rarely so without a death threat. Glancing down at the small rectangular thing in his hands, Kagome really didn't know what to say. She couldn't really tell him what the thing was because then that would mean having to explain how it work and where it came from. But then, she couldn't very well lie either, because youkai of his standing and breed were able to tell such things. So she couldn't tell the truth and she couldn't lie. What about half the truth…._

"_It's an instrument."_

_He studied the thing for a moment. It was black and rectangular shaped with silver backing. It also had what appeared to be a clear piece of class on the black surface, as well as a round, flatter looking black ring with little symbols on it. That must be how she created the music then. Curious by nature, he inclined his head to the side, not at all aware that Kagome was finding this change in behavior utterly confusing. "Make a sound." Obviously the girl was proficient in using the item, even without pressing the symbols. Interesting. _

_Studying him for a moment, Kagome slowly unraveled the thin white wires and hesitantly stepped closer to him. She could see him tense as she came closer, so she cleared her throat. "It's easier to show you if you watch what I do." As she stood where she was, Kagome was just barely able to catch the little nod of acceptance. Offering up a bright smile, she stepped closer and handed him one of the ear buds, instructing how to insert it. When he had the little thing in, she moved to stand directly next to him and powered the thing on. Just as the bright light flared to _

_life, Kagome covered it and turned to look at him. "Heh…you uh, might want to look away for a sec while I make it a little darker, alright?" _

_Sesshoumaru did nothing and continued to stare at the screen. Did the girl honestly think a bright light was going to offend him? Foolish miko. He deigned not to even honor that with a reply. _

_Frowning, she shrugged, before removing her hand and letting the light out. She didn't sense any reaction from him, but that didn't stop her from changing the brightness. She may not be a demon herself, but she knew how sensitive their eyes, nose and ears were. After that, she picked a song and paused it, before turning the volume almost all the way down, before handing it over. Once he held it, she told him what each of the buttons did, though it took her a moment to think of words that he would actually know. When she was sure he understood, she stepped back and let him try it. _

_As he pressed down the button in the bottom of the circle, what she called the 'play' button, he was surprised to hear sound coming from the receptacles in his ears. Interesting. Pressing the button on the right, he found that changed the words as well as the counts to the music. The same could be said for the left button. Pressing the top button, he found it took him to a list with writing he did not understand. Not that he would tell the girl that. Studying the small thing, the texture of the circle intrigued him. Running his thumb around the circle, he instantly ripped the little white pieces out of his ear and dropped the thing on the ground, glaring at the human. _

"_Wench!"_

_Kagome tried. Honestly, she did. She put so much effort into holding her laughter inside of her. But she'd never been good at self-restraint. The giggles bubbled out of her as Sesshoumaru jerked the things out of his ears, just as she'd moved to stop him from turning the volume up. It seems she forgot to tell him about that part. Oops. _

"_I'm so--_

_She couldn't stop the laughter as another chuckle poured out of her. This was the most entertainment she'd had in ages and that included sitting Inuyasha for no reason. Of course, no one knew that she really did it for no reason. _

"—_sorry Sesshoumaru-sama!!" _

_Still the laughter continued until she was hunched over and holding her sides, the giggles bubbling out of her at an impossibly fast rate. _

_Sesshoumaru could not believe the girl. After deceiving him, she dared to mock him? And yet, despite the laughter, he could since only sincerity from her as she attempted to apologize. He wasn't quite sure how to react to that. Deciding that no reaction was the best course of action, he turned on his heel and began to walk away. He could tell the girl had no real fear of him and since she did not seem like she actually wanted to attack him, why bother threatening her for not warning him about the noise level? He wasn't going to waste his time. There were more important people to kill. _

_As he walked away, Kagome slowly, bit by bit, regained her composure. As she finally calmed down and slowed her breathing somewhat, she managed to evaluate the situation. She'd run into Sesshoumaru, showed him her "instrument," and scared the bejesus out of him with the highest setting for the noise on her iPod. And he hadn't killed her or even offered up a death threat. Odd that._

_Smiling and shaking her head to herself, Kagome reached forward to pick up her iPod. Deciding that she would listen to it on her way back to camp, she put the earphones in and went to turn it on. It took her a few minutes to realize there was a whole in the back, as well as a funky smell, almost like…acid? What the hell?! _

"_Sesshoumaru! You Jerk! You killed my iPod!" she screamed, scaring a flock of birds in a nearby tree._

_(Chap. Fin)_

* * *

(A/N – Okay, so I know that was a rather boring chapter, but I wanted to get the first meeting out of the way and now seemed like a good time to do that. I tried to make it interesting, but to be honest, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter. Let me know what you think, okay? Also, I'm looking for a beta to beta this story as well as any of my other stories as well as any future ones. If anybody knows of a good one, let me know!!)

As much as I appreciate everyone who reviewed, I'm only going to answer the ones that have questions.

Kandy123654 – Well, obviously they don't get along yet, lol, though Sess was fun to play in the first few pages, lol. I think I got his personality down right for that? Dunno.

Pandora-Of-The-South – Yep, he was watching. He was curious to see how long it would take before she lost her patience. Maybe not watching so much as keeping track of her with his senses?

SakuraMoon1989 – Lol, yeah, it was on Dokuga, but there really isn't as much activity there as there was on A Single Spark or here, so I'm pretty much going to delete my profile there and remove my stories. Besides, it's so much easier just updating to one site instead of 3, lol. I couldn't really imagine Sess dancing either, but I was thinking if he did dance, it would be ball-room dancing. It's such a controlled type of dance, but also has so much underlying passion, you know? Anyway, hope you liked it.

To everyone else who reviewed, thank you! And I hope you like this chapter as much if not more than the last! If you didn't, let me know why, okay? That's the only way I can improve!!


	3. Finding You

((A/N - Alright, well, there were more saying I should go with what I already had so I apologize to those readers who would have liked me to keep it in the future and I sincerely hope this does not keep you from reading and enjoying the rest of the story. R&R. ))

* * *

Chapter Three –

She put herself through the paces, moving as quickly and elegantly as she could manage. Her heart was racing and sweat was dripping from her brow. Music pounded behind her and she averted her eyes from the camera crew before her as the scrip said to. And then she stumbled, lost once again on thoughts that had nothing to do with the video being shot.

Leaning forward she tried to ignore the annoyed comments of the crew and the sigh from her new manager. This was the third time she'd messed up when usually she got everything done with the first shooting. She fisted her fingers and concentrated on catching her breath. She just wasn't into it right now, all her focus horrible because of the actions from last night. She sighed.

Roki kneeled before her and although she knew he was just trying to help she couldn't help but to feel uneasy around him. It probably had something to do with the way he'd acted around her the other morning. Still, it was best to act professional and so she offered up a chagrined smile. "I'm sorry. I don't think I'm going to be able to do this today."

He watched her quietly and nodded, knowing better than to press her about it. He knew what Sesshoumaru was like and he wouldn't be surprised if he'd shocked the poor girl. But he also knew about her, past and present and he wondered why she wasn't more equipped to deal with it. Still, it wasn't his issue to inquire about so he stood and did his job, apologize to the director and crew while she changed and got ready to go. Yuka was not going to like this. He sighed.

* * *

"Arigato Roki-san," she said as she slipped out of the car and with-out waiting for a response closed the door and began the steep climb up the steps to the shrine. Her head was killing her and try as she might Kagome was unable to keep her thoughts off of Sesshoumaru. She didn't understand.

She crossed the courtyard and pushed open the door to the kitchen, startling her brother. "Hey brat."

"Hey sis, good timing!" Souta smiled brightly at her and before she could escape to her room to brood he was pulling her over to the table and pointing out a problem in his math book. He was in high school now and though try as she might to explain to him she'd barely graduated, he was still inclined to get her help with the work.

Studying the problem she was surprised at how quickly it came back to her. School was horrible for her but math came surprisingly easy. She pointed out his mistake and a hint on how to solve it, before mussing his hair and making her way slowly out of the room.

"Thanks sis! Oh yeah! There's a package in front of your door. It came earlier but you weren't home yet…" he trailed off as he focused on the math again, muttering a 'duh' as he realized what he'd done wrong. He was so going to ace the assignment!

Kagome climbed up the steps and as she got to her room she bent down to pick it up, surprised to feel the slight weight to it. She shrugged as she stepped inside and tossed her bag down by the door. Flopping down on her bed she ripped open the top of the package and was surprised to see a small book sliding out. It looked old, the leather worn and smooth, creased from years of use. The pages were yellowed and rice paper thin. The writing was neat and small, loopy and obviously girly. As she flipped through the pages slowly she realized the thing was a diary and picked a page at random to begin reading.

"……_and father was worried again. He'd told us a million times to never go out on our own, especially with the dangers that had begun to creep up lately. The youkai were numerous and even our village of exterminators was having trouble keeping up. He worried and understandingly so. Still, it didn't do much but to grate on our nerves. After all, we have Uncle Kohaku to keep an eye on us and Uncle Inuyasha to help protect us! Nothing could go wrong….._"

She froze at those names, rereading them a million times in an attempt to make sense of it. Inuyasha and Kohaku. This girl was talking about them as if they were close relatives. Frowning, she sat up and flipped to the beginning of the journal, more frenzied than she'd ever been.

* * *

It was dark now and as she set the journal down Kagome was unable to keep the excitement out of her eyes. Six years ago she'd left and closed the well without so much as even an explanation to anyone. She'd left so many things undone and very likely left so many people hurt. It wasn't fair of her and it certainly wasn't fair to the others.

But now, now she had the way to open the well. She could fix all the mistakes she'd helped to create and then everything would be alright. The last page, though just a little smeared, spoke of a spell that would break any barrier, even that of a miko's. She could finally go back. But there were obligations to take care of first and people to say goodbye to. There was no telling how she would handle things this time.

Standing, Kagome struggled to rein in her excitement and walked over to her desk. Without hesitation she pulled out the chair and sat down, turned on her computer and began to write, explaining as much as possible. She would do anything to make sure he understood what was going on. Anything to make it right and to let him know she hadn't meant to hurt him.

Finally, finally she would put an end to it all.

* * *

Three Days Later

He held the letter before him, eyes narrowed on the soft precise writing. It had his name and that was all. Another clue that pointed to it being hand delivered. He knew who it was without even opening it, delighting in her scent as if it were the sweetest poison ever created. He sighed. For the past two hours he'd been sitting here staring at the damn thing. Stupid woman. She was the only one able to distract him so much. Through a damned letter.

A headache beginning to form, he carefully split the envelope open and was once again blasted with her clean jasmine scent. Damnable woman. It was typed on a pale blue paper and he couldn't help but to roll his eyes. This was so like her. Unfolding it, Sesshoumaru began to read, savoring each word. But as he read further and further on, his eyes widened.

"_To Sesshoumaru,_

_If I were to be totally honest with myself, I would tell you that the reason I didn't tell you of my true home was because there was no guarantee that I would ever be able to go back. I knew that with every day longer I lingered in the feudal era, I came closer and closer to dying. I did not belong in such a time and that time totally rejected me. My health can attest to that. _

_Without that guarantee it hurt to talk about it, as if I knew one day I would be unable to go back where I belonged. I don't really understand why you were mad at me and I can only hope that one day you will explain it to me. If you chose not to though, well, I understand. We're friends and it was wrong of me to keep such a thing from you. _

_Knowing this, I also feel it is the right thing to tell you of my plans. Six years ago I sealed the well, just as I'd told you it had been only six years since I'd last seen you. I have been unable to break that seal. Until now. When I left there were many things I did not finish and many responsibilities I abandoned. I did not anticipate being unable to break my own magic to get back. I should have known that with my own fledgling powers I would do something like that when I didn't want to. _

_But now my powers are stronger and I have learned the spell to break my barrier and unleash the magic I sealed. Today I plan to leave again and this time there is no promise of my coming back, whether it be my own physical health or the dangers of the ancient world that stops me, well, I'll just leave that in the capable hands of fate. _

_I hope that one day you can forgive me. _

_Kagome."_

* * *

Kagome sat on the lip of the well and tried to stop the tears from flowing. Although her mama didn't really understand why she was going, she realized that Kagome needed to do this. That did not stop her from wanting her daughter to stay. And Kagome felt that pain like she never had before. It almost made her change her mind. Almost.

She turned her attention to the bottom of the well and the slight pink glow lingering there. All she had to do was break past that and then she'd be home free. Steadying her breath, Kagome set her palms on the wood and let her magic flow out from her, gathering around her body like a second skin and then floating forward to surround the well. She could feel her magic at the bottom collide with her present powers and was surprised to find the level of that spell so much weaker than her current level.

She sighed and focused once again. Once the two fields met Kagome steadied herself before forcing out a huge amount of her abilities and slamming it into the other bit of her power. She muttered a few choice words as she did so and watched in amazement as the pink barrier on the bottom slowly cracked into a million little pieces and disappeared like snow. She stared in fascination.

Well then….

Pushing herself backwards over the lip of the well she turned around and exited the well house. All she had left to do was say goodbye to her family.

Mama was in the kitchen, her shoulders tense as she bent over the sink and focused on her dishes. She didn't want to think about her daughter leaving again, not after so many years had passed and after all the girl had been through. She sighed and as the kitchen door opened she set down the bowl in her hands and turned to face her daughter, wiping her hands on the apron around her waist.

"I have to leave now…."

Her daughter was so beautiful and strong. She'd never met another person like Kagome, except for perhaps her father. She was going to lose her little girl just as she'd lost her husband. Unwillingly she started to cry and pulled her little girl to her, wrapping her in a warm hug.

"I'm going to be alright Mama. I'll come back." Kagome returned her mother's hug and held the taller woman gently. She'd never realized just how fragile her mother was but holding her so close she could not help but to come face to face with the wrenching realization. She hated to add this burden to her mother's shoulders just as she'd done in high school, but there was more at stake than the desires of a mother and daughter.

"Don't make a promise you won't be able to keep, Kagome. You know better than that." The reprimand was quiet and filled with the strength she'd learned from her own mother. She tightened her grip on her little girl before pushing her back to arms length. "You do what you have to Kagome and you do it right. Just like you always have."

Kagome launched at her mother again and hugged her tightly one more time. "Thank-you, mama!"

And then she was gone, unable to do much more than smile sadly at her mother. She quickly walked to the well house again and slid the door open, excitement growing as she tried not to think about the hurt she was causing her family. Leaning over to pick up her bag, she smirked out how light it was compared to all her other visits. She turned to the well.

With a small smile she slipped onto the lip and was just about to push herself into the past again when he stopped her, his fingers digging into her arm; she could tell he was restraining his claws. Always the gentleman.

"Don't."

"I have to."

"No."

"Yes."

"Life continued."

"Not happily."

He had nothing to say to this but did not let go. He was glaring at her.

If Kagome hadn't known him better she would have thought his anger was all that was there but she did know better and so she smiled, unconcerned. "I have responsibilities to take care of. I can't leave everyone to finish them for me, not like the past six years. I'm 24 now and my purification is stronger than ever."

Again he was silent but before she could say anything else he was pulling her forward and wrapping her tightly against him, breathing in her scent. She was so tiny. "You will look for this Sesshoumaru when you arrive."

She kept her surprise to herself as she was suddenly wrapped around him and she couldn't help but to relax. She wasn't sure about her feelings towards him but she knew he was a good friend, possibly her best. "That will change history," she murmured.

"As will all of your actions."

He was right and she knew it. But it was for the best she hoped. Going back would allow her to find the rest of the shards and add them to the half of the jewel she'd taken with her six years ago. "I have to go now."

Slowly he released her and as she backed up to the well, she couldn't help but to offer him another small smile and one last comment. "If you talk to my mama she'll….well, she'll tell you what I was talking about in that letter. About my health, I mean." Without giving him a chance to respond to that she fell backwards into the well and let the magic engulf her until she was wrapped in the pink and blue swirls of time.

Sesshoumaru studied the well for a good twenty minutes after she left, contemplating her last words and the way she'd clung to him he couldn't help but to smile softly. Had he smiled like that 500 years ago his soldiers would have been quivering in their boots. Kagome's mother….

He turned and left the well house before slowly following Kagome's scent to a small house behind the shrine. It was quaint in a way that appealed to him not to mention the seals around the shrine made it one of the more peaceful areas to be in.

As he stood on the steps in front of the door he contemplated entering without knocking, after all, if Kagome's mother was anything like Kagome then she would likely scare herself to death. He had a feeling Kagome would not appreciate him killing her mother, even if it were indirectly. So he knocked.

When the woman opened the door Sesshoumaru was not able to keep a little bit of a smile forming. He knew now what Kagome would look like as she aged. They were so much alike that Sesshoumaru was tempted to pull the older woman into a hug much as he had Kagome. For the obvious reasons he ignored those temptations.

"You are Kagome's mother."

The woman hesitated for a moment, but nodded, a little bit of determination and irritation entering her doe brown eyes. "That's true. But I'm afraid you'll have to leave. You're trespassing now and even though I'm sure my daughter appreciates having you for a fan, she does not like having paparazzi such as yourself running around her home trying to snatch pictures." She moved to close the door.

He slipped his fingers around the edge of the door and could not help but to narrow his eyes at the woman. It was very hard to reign in his temper around the human woman but again, for Kagome….well, more like to avoid Kagome's wraith. "I am Sesshoumaru."

She hesitated for only a moment but still did not let him through the door. "You are the one who sent my Kagome home in tears the other night." Her hand was fisted on her hip and she kept a firm grip on the door with the other, refusing him entrance. "You'd better have good reason for being here because at the moment I want nothing to do with you." At this a little bit of her emotions leaked into her eyes and Kyoko was unable to keep up the angry demeanor.

Sesshoumaru did not say a word as the woman started to cry in front of him and had to stop himself from wrinkling his nose in distaste. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but aside from Kagome, this woman was the only one who dared to defy him and attempted to treat him as any other human should be treated. Foolish woman. It would seem Kagome inherited much from her mother. "This Sesshoumaru wishes to know what is wrong with Kagome."

Kyoko stopped crying almost immediately at Sesshoumaru's words and could do nothing but stare. So that was it. He'd come to find out about…it. Kagome must have sent him. She sighed and let go of the door as she turned back into the house while wiping away her tears. "Come inside. I'll tell you the whole story of what's wrong with my Kagome…"

* * *

Kagome couldn't help but to smile as the magic wrapped around her and within minutes she was lying on the bottom of the well again. The sky was still blue overhead and covered in white fluffy clouds. The sound of cars rushing by was gone as was the disgusting smell of exhaust and all of its nasty pollutants. It was good to be back again.

She lay there for a good few minutes before slowly pulling herself up and out, hanging on the edge to catch her breath and then crawling the rest of the way out. It was so warm here. And quiet. Smiling, she quickly followed the path to the village she knew so well, thoughts of the others swimming through her mind.

She stopped dead in her tracks however as she came upon the half-destroyed gates and what looked like the charred remains of the guard house. She hesitated for only a moment before continuing on, fingering the butter knife in her pocket the whole time.

Moving through the remains of the village slowly, Kagome couldn't help but to let a few tears drop. There wasn't the over bearing scent of smoke and what remained of the wood from the huts looked like it had been burned a least four years ago. It didn't make any sense. Even if the village had been attacked the villagers would have come back and re-built. The only reason she could think of was that they weren't coming back because there had been no one to protect them at the time of the attack.

Which meant that her friends either died in the attack, were killed before the attack or had been too far away to even realize the village was being destroyed. She prayed for the last option to be the right one; there was no way she would be able to handle things on her own and despite what Sesshoumaru had asked of her she was unsure she wanted to be around the Sesshoumaru from this time.

She sighed. Now was not the time to think of such things. First things first. She had to look like a miko from this era and despite how much she loathed the idea of it that meant donning the red and white robes. Again she sighed and with quick efficiency stripped to the nude, wrapping the complicated fabrics around herself and tying what needed to be tied. Such a nuisance.

* * *

For three hours she'd been trekking through the damn forest, climbing over all the undergrowth and ducking under numerous fallen trees; it was almost as if something had torn through here and ripped the trees out from the roots.

This was not working. She had no idea where she was and the forest was getting quieter with each step she took further inside the murky green.

'_Look for this Sesshoumaru…' _

She sighed. As much as she didn't want to Kagome knew that Sesshoumaru was likely her only option right now. He would be able to tell her what was going on and where everyone was.

The real question was why she didn't want to see him. Logically he was the best choice; he could protect her, fill her in on the events of the past six years and also help her with finding the others. But….what? What was stopping her from finding the one person who could possibly help her? It didn't make any sense…

"Screw it," she muttered and closed her eyes, pushing all thoughts of why to the back of her mind. She was being silly. When in need of help, ask for it. That's what she'd always been taught and it was about time she start following such rules.

Letting herself relax she felt her power growing inside of her until it was almost over-flowing, burning at the edges of her awareness. She loved this feeling, as if she'd been sitting for a while and was getting the chance to stretch. If she'd had the knowledge first hand she'd say it was better than an orgasm, but she wasn't prepared to make that assumption just yet. Well, not until she knew for sure at least.

When it was fair to bursting inside of her, Kagome let out a small yelp and her energy poured out of her. For just an instant she was intensely aware or every creature within a hundred mile radius. She liked the feeling of knowing what every sound was created by and where all these tiny power sources were coming from. She'd definitely have to work harder on becoming more aware and building up that power even more.

Speaking of power, was that a jewel shard to the north? Or maybe it was her imagination seeking something so familiar it would create a false sense? She sighed. The only way to be sure would be to follow her own instincts.

* * *

He stilled. Her gentle warmth was enveloping him, wrapping around him in a familiar awareness he hadn't felt in more than twelve years. She was back. He couldn't help but to smile slightly. It was a bit too late for her to do anything. She was calling for him. Well….

There was a childish gasp from the cell next to him.

The chains on his ankles jingled against each other in an almost merry tune as he shifted his position slightly. She would have to come and find him herself. For two winters he'd been unable to escape this hellish prison; he still couldn't believe how easily he'd been tricked.

_Two years ago:_

_Her power was strong as it washed over him, hurt and panicky. It was the first time he'd felt it in ten years; to think he'd almost forgotten what it felt like. _

_Without hesitation he dropped the papers he was signing and strolled out of his study, leaving his attendants and informers with gaping mouths and wide eyes. He didn't wait for anyone to ask him to wait, to not skip the treaty meeting in less than an hour. He was out of the castle and the western lands before anyone could even object. _

_Almost there! She was just past the border of the Northern lands and he could tell she was in the midst of battle. Foolish demons; his scent mark of intention should have been obvious enough, even to their impudent lower level noses._

_She was surrounded by three bear youkai, all too low to cause her to be scared. He stepped forward to kill them and was stopped almost immediately by dark purple strands of power. Purple. Dark miko. Turning to face the miko he growled and studied her more closely. _

_Instead of the blue he could drown in he was burning in the dark hate of amber, blinded by her overly pale skin. Her face, though similar in structure, was not the face he searched for. How then, how could he confuse this woman for the gentle miko under his protection? _

_He tried to move forward but was once again stopped by the dark power burning him. It was sapping his strength and stealing his yōki. Damnable woman! Darkness was closing in around him and as he felt his knees hit the ground he could hear the infernal laughing of the impudent hanyou. _

* * *

Kagome ducked, the large club skimming over the top of her head. Damn that was close. The Oni roared its frustration as she managed to escape again. Without hesitation she strung an arrow and fired it; The thing was large and its skin seemed to be resistant to most sharp objects. She'd shot numerous arrows at it and not one of them had managed to penetrate. She was running out of options.

It stood a good five feet above her with dark brown armored skin and horns rimmed around its face. Olive yellow eyes glared at her with diamond shaped pupils; its face was almost beak like. It was bulbous in the middle with broad shoulders and thick legs, feet the size of her body. He was monstrous in all and if she hadn't been pissed off about the fact that it had attacked her she likely would have been terrified. Maybe. Most probably.

It swung the club at her again and she managed to shoot it with an arrow stopping the momentum slightly but not enough to stop it completely. It hit her arm and she could do no more than gasp as the sickening crack of it breaking echoed louder than the heart beating in her ears. She grew dizzy and as her arm fell to her side Kagome could do no more than stare at the creature before her.

Her arm was broken and through the pain she was barely able to concentrate. The bow would be useless to her now, as would her arrows unless she could somehow find a soft spot on its body. But it wasn't as easy as it used to be, especially when she wasn't the one with the demon eyes.

Before she could decide on any course of action though the Oni was lunging at her and had its grimy hands curled tightly around her. She screamed as it tightened its already vise-like grip and brought it closer to its mouth. Even through the pain she was aware of the single thought racing through her mind. No way in hell was she letting some stupid Oni eat her.

But it was a soft spot on its body and it was the only one she'd been able to locate so far. Even the eyes had some kind of protective armor over them. If she could just touch its tongue then she'd be able to purify the beast; but it also meant sticking her hand close to the nasty demons mouth. Let's see; being covered in saliva verses being eaten alive. Duh.

She was coming closer and closer to the Oni's mouth and she was so dizzy. Her arm was tingling and she was hard-pressed to not just let the monster eat her. But….Sesshoumaru and the others. She needed to figure out what was going on now and where everyone was. She had to find Naraku and his half of the jewel. So many things to finish…

The monster roared and it jerked her out of her thoughts; she hadn't realized how close she was to it already. Its teeth were right in front of her and she could feel its breath rushing at her face. It squeezed her tighter and with a scream she reached her free hand forward as far as she could and grasped a hold of its teeth and gums. The Oni was surprised at the scream but of course thought she was screaming from terror; if it had even that much thought process.

Again it added more pressure before attempting to push her further into its mouth. Kagome would have none of that; she could do no more than groan and push as much power as she could into her hands. It froze immediately before letting out an ear-splitting scream Kagome had no doubt could be heard for miles. She held on as it shuddered and tried to fling her away from it, sliding just a little from the saliva.

And then she was falling to the ground as its body slowly disintegrated to ashes; at least the top half of its body did. As soon as the head was gone she'd let go and the body fell to the ground, lifeless. Her knees thudded on the cold ground and she shuddered, panting. It was done. And the pain from her arm came rushing back to the front of her mind.

She cradled it to her chest as gently as possible, attempting and failing to keep it still. With each movement another jolt of pain rushing through her and Kagome was unable to do much more than cry. She couldn't even think of words to describe the pain. Not once in the time before she'd sealed the well had she broke a bone. That no doubt had something to do with her once protector.

There would be no moving until the pain was gone but staying in this spot also meant more demons coming after her; or more rather, the jewel. It was best to keep moving. She wouldn't be able to heal herself but she could make the pain go away, temporarily and pull it into a make-shift sling. She'd have to stop in the next village to make sure it healed right, wherever that was. Best to get it over with. Closing her eyes she stretched the broken limb out as much as possible, tears streaming down her face and unable to do anything but groan from the pain. It was almost like sticking her entire arm in boiling water and then dumping freezing water on top of it. The skin was broken in one area just below her elbow and stretched all the way to her shoulder; long and deep. Bone was visible, even the tiny broken fractures floating in the blood. She went on the assumption that her shoulder wasn't dislocated based on the fact that she could still move the limb and the same went for the elbow; either that or she couldn't feel the pain from the joints being broken because they were numb? Now wasn't the time to focus on such things.

She set her left hand on the broken limb and winced, trying to ignore the pain the simply gesture did and failing. She whimpered and gritted her teeth, breath scraping by. She tried to concentrate and pushed her power into her hand. Almost instantly the broken arm was numb and she sighed in relief. It would only last for a while and then she'd have to do it again. Next was the sling.

Looking around for her bag Kagome was glad to see that it was still safe and sound under the tree she'd hidden it. She was shaking as she stood and it took her a moment to regain her equilibrium. Her steps were slow and she cursed them; already it'd taken her too long to numb the pain in her arm and it was going to take even longer to make the sling. Damn Oni! She knelt before the small brown leather satchel and pulled out the clothes she'd changed out of only hours earlier. The denim jeans would give her more support but they were tougher to tear, especially with one hand. She fished around inside the pockets in the bag and pulled out the butter knife from earlier. It was dull but at the very least it would make a whole she could work with. It took her twenty minutes to finish. Damn it!

The sun was lowering now and with each second longer she was in more and more danger. She didn't know where she was and things were so different from the last time she was here. So much more perilous than she'd ever thought it would be.

She picked up her bag as best she could and set off in the direction she'd been going originally, her steps slow and unsteady. Spreading her senses out as far as she could Kagome concentrated on putting one step on top of the other, her only task to get to the next village as quickly as possible.

* * *

It was going to leave a scar, that much was obvious. So far she counted sixty stitches. She was lucky to not have severed a nerve. There would have been no way to fix such a wound in this time. Yume, the village miko, was surprised to find another miko who could not do such things to herself. Hell, give Kagome a needle and thread and she could stitch up anyone with the best of them, except for herself of course. She didn't really understand that aversion to her own blood but she figured it was best not to question it.

Her broken arm was another matter entirely as it lay stiffly in her lap, bandaged and braced. She thought it was silly to use separate bandages for her broken arm and the huge cut but Yume was adamant about it. Oh well. Not like it was a big deal or anything. The elder miko also gave her some kind of numbing cream to smear on it every time she changed the bandages. At the very least she would be able to keep the pain at bay.

It was dark again and as she sat by the open door to Yume's small hut waiting for the other woman to finish cooking, she wondered what to do now. She had no idea where she was or where the others were. Sesshoumaru did not answer her summoning and the more mindless youkai seemed more abundant now than they had before. It was all so confusing. But then, she guessed six years could do that to a place.

She turned back to face the fire and Yume, her face filled with questions she did not know how to word. The woman could be no more than a few years older than her, maybe almost thirty. She had dark brown hair and cool amber eyes, so dark they were almost brown. Her face was full as if she'd never lost her baby fat yet she was tall and slender, surprisingly so for this time period. Most women were bulky, even the Miko's because of all the work they did in the fields. It probably had something to do with genetics in Yume's case.

"You should come closer to the fire Higurashi-san." Her voice was almost musical in its gentle lilt and it made her seem even more like a child to Kagome.

Kagome did not say anything but she let the curtain to the do slip shut and moved further inside the room, putting her back to a wall in order to keep a better eye on the door. Her knees were folded beneath her and she accepted the small bowl handed to her. The stew smelled delicious. She ate silently, savoring both the flavor and the silence as she drifted through her thoughts.

There were many things she had to do and one of them was to find Inuyasha and the others. She assumed Sesshoumaru not coming meant he probably didn't want anything to do with her after having disappeared for six years. She could live with that…maybe. By far the most important though, was the Shikon jewel and Naraku. As much as she wanted to make sure her friends were alright, destroying the evil hanyou and completing the jewel were even more important. The Inu Tachi could be found later, after everything was finished and Japan was safe again. She didn't want to take away their revenge but getting rid of him quickly was perhaps the best way to go about things. No more lives lost were the goal.

But first, the only way to do that was to gather information. She turned to Yume and offered up a small smile. She'd been nothing but cordial to the woman and had encouraged the assumption that she didn't want to speak. It was time to undo that conjecture.

"Yume-san…have you ever heard of the Shikon Jewel?"

The choked on the mouthful of food and looked at Kagome, incredulous. "Higurashi-san, I'm not quite sure how you know of such matters but at this point in time it is perhaps not the best thing to speak of." Her voice was almost pleading, her words soft and barely audible over the crackle of the fire.

Kagome frowned, her brows drawing together. Yume's reaction was a bit over the top not to mention baffling. The Jewel was of course a dangerous object but never during the first four years of her time chasing the darned thing had she run across a miko who was scared of it; there were many who scorned it, Kikyo included. Even some who thought Midoriko as evil incarnate for creating it all those years ago. Vaguely she wondered what Yume would think if she knew Kagome was the one who's shattered it? "I don't understand."

"The Shikon is wanted by many people Higurashi-san, from the lowest level of Oni, to dark miko's and even to the priests. It's power is renowned and some would go the length of the earth to find it. In particular there is a half-demon searching for it; or more rather, the miko who holds the other half."

Again she frowned. Surely the hanyou Yume was speaking of was Naraku. It had to be, because as far as she was aware, she was the only miko who held half of the Shikon. And Inuyasha; well, she was almost positive he cared more about defeating Naraku than he did about finding the jewel. He had to! "This hanyou you speak of…what is his name?"

It was Yume's turn to frown. Why was this girl so curious? She couldn't be more than twenty-five and yet she spoke with such interest of matters from almost twelve years ago. Maybe she knew something of the mysterious miko? Or was she looking for the jewel herself? But what would an incompetent miko such as herself want with such a powerful object? Perhaps she knew where it was? "His name is Naraku."

Kagome listened carefully, her features blank as Yume's soft words whispered that hated name. She sounded as if she were speaking with reverence but Kagome was sure it was fear. She didn't notice the dark glint in the other miko's eyes. Her next words were cautious as she led the discussion further. "Wasn't there another hanyou after it as well?" She lifted the spoon and took another bite, keeping her eyes on the merrily crackling fire.

"You speak of the half-demon Inuyasha, second son to the previous Western Lord, Toga-sama." She eyed Kagome with speculate, her spoon gripped tightly in her hand. She had to fight herself to keep her words warm and quiet, modest. She was entirely too curious for her own good but a strict up-bringing kept her mouth shut and her questions to herself. Obviously this Kagome girl had no such rearing. She must be naught but a fish-mongers daughter; Yume bet if it hadn't been for some kind of spiritual powers she would have wound up in a whore-house. Pitiful really, such happenings, but what else was there?

"I thought so. Does he still chase it?" Inwardly she was cheering; who'd have thought getting answers was going to be this easy? Heh. Now if she could just learn to dodge the questions. Like that was going to happen. No doubt the moment she got back home Sesshoumaru was going to bombard her with questions about her condition. Oh well. Hopefully her mama had filled him enough to satisfy his curiosity. Doubtful.

"Nobody knows. He disappeared quite a bit ago, about eight years ago; his group as well. Supposedly the miko who travelled with him vanished a good twelve years ago and she was the one who carried the other half of the jewel." She smiled kindly at the other girl but was surprised to see the shock on her face. What was wrong with her? She couldn't have known the damned youkai; at that age she would have been well immersed in some holy sanctuary to learn the arts.

"What about his half-brother? Hasn't he tried to find him?" Twelve years. That couldn't be right. She hadn't even shattered the jewel twelve years ago, not to mention it hadn't been more than six since she'd left. Unless the well put her further into the future than she'd originally thought? As annoying as that thought was it seemed like something the well would do…

She laughed at that. The girl must be worried about something else if she didn't know about the feud between the brothers. "No, likely not; the two sons have never gotten along from what I've been told. Besides, he went missing about two years ago as well. It seems a good portion of the people involved with the jewel or it's shards from the past twelve years have gone missing. The miko was the first." She tilted her head to the side, studying the young miko. "Why are you so interested?"

Kagome did not answer the other woman, merely shrugged and continued to stare into the flames, lost in the answers Yume had given her. It just didn't make sense; there was no way Inuyasha would give up on searching for the Jewel and Sesshoumaru was damn near indestructible. The only way they could all be missing was if Naraku had somehow interfered and captured them all. That was the only thing that made sense. Yet how could Sesshoumaru be so easily fooled? And Inuyasha should have been able to tell the difference between what was real, especially because he'd already been tricked by the evil hanyou once.

She sighed and remained quiet as Yume studied her for a few more minutes before standing and preparing for the night. Bowls and the small pot were set to the side and water was thrown into the fire, extinguishing it almost immediately. The small room was still illuminated by the stars and the moon shining through the small windows and she was able to see the vacant looking in Higurashi-sans eyes. It was almost as if the girl hadn't even realized the fire was gone and the day too. She was a very odd girl, definitely something to take note of. Yes, most certainly a very unusual girl.

She was lost in her thoughts as the village miko retreated to the curtained off corner of the room, twisting her fingers together. It would seem the best thing to do would be to go to the Western Lands and speak with Jaken. He had to know what was going on. If that didn't work she would have to search on her own to find Naraku and see if he was hiding them all. No doubt he would tell her he'd killed them all or he'd only given them to her in return for her half of the jewel.

If Jaken was unable to help her she'd travel as far north as it took to find Totusai; he of all people would know what to do; maybe even myoga could help her? That was debatable. As far as she could remember neither of the two demons liked being around battle or confrontation. Myoga had been known to hide on Kirara during fights and showed up only after all the battles were finished. But the little flea demon was also an enormous well of information, almost always giving them what they needed to fulfill whatever task they were working on.

Her breath escaped in a yawn and with a start she realized a good hour had passed since the fire had been extinguished. Well. She hadn't done this in a while; zone out so much she didn't even notice when her companion went to sleep. Speaking of sleep…

As soon as she lay down her dreams caught her, wrapping her in the mysterious colors and images. She dreamt of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, of the Jewel and the first time they met. Of convincing Miroku to travel with them and helping Sango to see that Naraku had betrayed her and was responsible for the death of her family. She remembered Shippo and his constant reminder of her little brother, his continuous jokes on Inuyasha. Such a happy child. She would find them all.

The sun was just cresting over the trees when she woke and as she stared at the wall across from her she was unsurprised to see Yume silently staring at her. The woman's eyes were masked; if she hadn't been so used to the cold expressions from Sesshoumaru she would not have been able to detect the hint of chilly anger. She closed her eyes and slipped into a sitting position, slipping her half of the jewel and its beaded necklace back into the inner folds of her clothing. _And so the wolf ate the child…_*

"There was information I needed," Kagome said quietly as she stood and picked up her bag, slinging it across her uninjured shoulder.

"You would lie to a fellow miko? Trick me into giving answers that you already knew? What can you possibly gain from making me look the fool?!" Yume's fists were clenched in her lap and there was a harsh purple glare growing around her figure. A miko scorned much?

Kagome said nothing as she slowly pushed aside the curtain. She felt bad about lying, obviously, but how else was she supposed to go about getting the answers she needed? Who would believe her when she told them she was the Miko who vanished all those years ago? They would ask why she hadn't aged a day, why she'd suddenly disappeared without completing her task. How to answer that question when she didn't know the answer herself? It was all so confusing. The least she could do was offer one simple truth; what harm could come from it?

She turned back to the older woman who now stood at the entrance to her hut, glaring after Kagome. Her lips lifted into a small smile, almost knowing in its honesty. "I am the Shikon Miko."

* * *

Her shoulders slumped as nothing but trees continued to line her path. The horse beneath her didn't seem bothered as he continued to simply plot along, his hoofs slapping up dirt. She was giving him a chance to catch his breath and relax as they cut through the woods and into the shade. Her legs were sore from being in the same position all day and the constant up and down jostling of the horse. She couldn't wait to get off the darned animal!!

It was a week and a half ago she'd told Yume about what she really was. And now, on the tenth day of riding the horse so generously given to her by one of the more well off villagers, she was about ready to kill the thing. It was a pretty horse and no doubt a very well taken care of one, not to mention capable of making the journey she needed to make. But still. A girl could only take so much! She sighed…

Supposedly, according to Yume, Sesshoumaru had disappeared around two years ago. But she knew Sesshoumaru would not abandon his lands like that, not unless he was incapacitated enough to not have any say in the matter. Such as being dead, or memory loss or even being kidnapped and kept prisoner. The question though, was who aside from Naraku would want Sesshoumaru dead? He was a Lord, so obviously there would be people who would want him out of the picture, but… there also the people he threatened and very likely the families of the people he killed. Another sigh drifted from her lungs; even his name had something to do with killing. Killing Perfection. Stupid Sesshoumaru…

He was at least five hundred years in the future and he was still causing problems for her. Darn it! He was the one who told her to find him in the first place, stupid demon. And now she was sore all over and lost trying to get to his stupid palace. Stupid, stupid Sesshoumaru! She scowled and leaned forward against the mare's neck, letting her do all the leading. It was his fault she was so tired and her arm was broken. A giggle escaped; so maybe it wasn't his fault about her arm but if he hadn't gone and made himself missing she wouldn't be in this position. As a matter of fact, she was certainly going to ream him for that!!

Ah, but then, he could likely do the same for her. After all, she was technically the one who went missing first. She laughed again. Let him try, she's make sure he didn't get a word in edge wise!

Her thoughts drifted to what they would do when she found him and she sobered slightly. Despite the scenarios she ran through, each of them required finding the rest of the shards and stealing the portion Naraku held, if he was still alive. If it wasn't Naraku who was causing all this trouble, though it was a slim possibility, they would have to figure out who it was and what they wanted, before another Naraku was created.

Her lids slid shut she was so lost in her contemplations and with a tiny yawn she slipped into sleep, her face pressed into the warm mane of the anime beneath her, its strong beating heart a lullaby to help lull her there.

_Dream/Memory:_

_He stood with his back to her, almost cocky in his stance as if he knew she didn't stand a chance against him, puny human that she was. The long white fur of his cloak hung to the ground and the blue of his ugly baboon mask looked even more repulsive in the dawning morning. There was a slight glow around him of dark purple power and she was scared to think she was right in the assumption of what it was. _

_He seemed to be looking at the person kneeling before him and she was just barely able to see a little bit of red from the side. The color was similar to that of Inuyasha's robes but the stitch was different. Besides, she knew he was nowhere near the well right now. _

_The person in front of him was most likely a miko and that made his words ring all the more true because only a dark miko could pose such a huge threat to a good miko. Sure, demons could kill her and what not, take her life as easily as they breathed, but it was the dark miko's she feared the most, even more so than she did Naraku. Partially it was because of what happened more than a year ago with Tsubaki and her shinigami, but an even larger part was the fact that a dark miko's were by nature evil, forsaken by the purity that first brought them into the magic and took the time to learn the darker of spells. Their magic could incapacitate even someone like Sesshoumaru and their spells were all the more dangerous because of the impure nature of their souls. _

_The hanyou turned towards her with a laugh and she couldn't help but to shiver as the coarse sound of it scared the bejeuses out of her. Once again she looked around for an escape and once again was annoyed to find a large, dark purple barrier surrounding the area. It was spread out into a good fifty-foot range, reaching from the God-tree all the way to cover half of the well. It would seem that was the only place she could go, but that would put her family in danger. Unless she could create a barrier like she'd been practicing with Keade? She would have to if she chose that route; Inuyasha was a hanyou and if the well allowed hanyou's through then surely Naraku would be able to get through as well. _

"_Foolish Miko. Surely you can't think you'll be able to escape? You should just do what I say and give me the jewel; I might even let you live as my personal toy if you do." His voice was filled with menacing laughter and he took a step towards her, the evil purple glow spreading further, almost as if it craved her purity. _

_She tensed and took a step back, matching him in an attempt to keep the distance wide between them. It was now or never. "Just give me thirty seconds! If you give me half a minute to even attempt to protect myself and I fail, I'll give you my portion of the jewel. Deal?"_

_He seemed intrigued by her offer and with a twisted smile he took a step back as well and nodded. "By all means, feel free to try Kagome. But I'm afraid I'll have to take away my offer to make you my pet; after all, giving you a chance to defend yourself is basically you trying to get away. I'll kill you if you can't guard yourself." _

_Her eyes twitched and she forced herself to keep her resolve and to offer up a sincere smile. "Of course." Without waiting for him to say anything else, she began to count and as quickly as she could sped towards the well. She was barely at twenty when she was ten feet away from it. With a whimper she ran full speed and couldn't help the joy she felt as her finger clung to the decaying wood. She turned to face him and with a triumphant smile spoke. "You won't be killing me just yet." Pushing herself over the side she cried out in pain as an arrow pierced her shoulder right above the heart and she continued to fall until she reached the bottom and the magic surrounded her. Just barely she heard his enraged yell before she was trapped in the wonderful, gentle blue magic of the time warp. _

_As soon as she was in her side she did not hesitate to block the pain in her shoulder for even a moment before dragging herself up with her good arm. Her adrenaline sent her sailing up and over the well and she lay panting against the side from exhaustion. Kami she wished she was done already, but there was still the barrier to raise and protect her family. Without thinking about it Kagome summoned as much of her power as she could and pushed it away from her to settle around the very bottom of the well. It might not stop him from getting through but it would certainly keep him in the well. _

_Done, she allowed herself to slump to the ground, blood forming in a pool around her as she called out weakly for her family. It wasn't long before Souta found her and he ran screaming into the house to her terrified mother._

She jerked awake, surprising the horse slightly and causing it to stumble in its steps. Catching the reins she leaned forward again and soothed the beast, rubbing its neck in a circular motion. When she was sure it was alright she sat back again and looked around. It seemed darker than it had earlier but Kagome wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed. Oh well, it wasn't like it mattered really, so long as she reached Sesshoumaru's home eventually. If she was even going in the right direction? That was a daunting fact; it was wholly possible that her challenge with directions had in fact carried over to the feudal era and was sending her in the completely wrong direction than she wanted to go. Oh yeah, that was a really demoralizing line of thought!

Her inner demoralization stopped almost immediately however as the mare, thus named Elizabeth on mere annoyance of calling it 'the mare,' stepped out of the forest and onto the dirt path. In the distance she could just barely see the outline of what looked to be the towers and barricade protecting a city.

It was at times like these she wished she had the other senses possessed by demons and all the other supernatural creatures that no longer existed in her own time. It would have been nice to see if any other humans lived in that city or to see if the demons there were particularly….carnivorous in their eating habits. She sighed and urged the horse forward; nothing else for it. At the very least she could threaten to purify them though she somehow doubted they'd think she was dangerous. And it would probably be a good idea to mask the power from the jewel.

With that decided she was quick to wrap her own power around the jewel and herself, both protecting and minimizing the amount of power sensed. She'd only done the spell once before and wasn't sure how well it would work. No biggie. Not like dying was a big deal or anything. Not like completing the jewel and saving everyone not to mention Japan and possibly the rest of the world was such a huge matter to be handled. Any old Joe could handle it. Or not.

She urged Elizabeth forward and when they came upon the guarded gates she was not surprised to be stopped by two youkai, both growling. She slipped down from the horse and took a cautious step forward.

Both of the male youkai were rather tall, more so than she remembered even Sesshoumaru being. The one on the right had fair skin and short, bright orange hair, freckles lining his cheeks under icy blue eyes. If it weren't for the fact that he looked wise beyond his years she would have thought his to be no older than herself, but it was not so. The other one, just slightly shorter, also with bright orange hair and freckles, was almost identical to the one on the right, the only difference being he had eyes almost as dark a blue as her own. Both wore white and silver uniforms with red lining on the sleeves and hems and armor that looked as heavy if not more so than Sesshoumaru's and of similar design.

She bowed and offered up a peaceful smile, making sure to keep her hands well in front of her and in a neutral stance. Best not to let them know she knew not only how to defend herself but also how to well, kill them. Inwardly she smiled; they wouldn't know what hit them. Or course, she'd have to retreat almost immediately but it sounded like fun none the less. Heh. "Konnichi wa."

Neither of them spoke but they seemed to tense even more, wary of her intentions. She supposed they weren't used to seeing a miko every day. Then again, she wasn't used to looking like a miko. Shifting the sling around her neck to a more comfortable position she offered up another pleasant smile. "My name is Higurashi Kagome. I'm a miko and I wish to speak with Sesshoumaru-sama."

There was just a bit more reaction this time as the one on the right, the taller of the two narrowed his eyes. Real communicative these demons. Maybe it was a dog thing? "Sesshoumaru-sama does not associate with humans, most especially those of the miko variety."

Rudeness must be another trait of Inu youkai. Either that or mutts just didn't like her. There was always that possibility. She smiled and tilted her head to the side as if she didn't understand what they were talking about. "Then what about Jaken? He knows who I am. I traveled with Inuyasha."

At Inuyasha's name and the fact that she used to travel with there seemed to be even more of just a little reaction, this time from the one on the left. Instant disbelief. C'mon, how hard were they gonna make this? He spoke and his voice was just slightly lower than his that of his twin. "That would not be possible. That miko's face would be lined by now and her power much stronger than the one you emanate."

Kagome scowled at this and could not help the bit of annoyance that slipped into her tone. But her mother taught her well and she made sure to keep her temper in check. _Patience. Must have patience. _She fisted her left hand at her side; if her right hand was not broken she would have fisted that one as well. As it were, she merely tensed her arm as much as possible and let some of her pleasant demeanor slip. "How powerful I might or might not be has nothing to do with you, nor does the elasticity of my skin." She couldn't help throwing in a word she knew they would be unfamiliar with. "Can I talk with Jaken or not?!"

The taller of the two was silent for a moment before nodding slightly though there was obvious disgust in his expression. "Very well." He made a quick motion with his hand and before she realized it the left on was gone and through the gates.

She wondered if the two took turns talking to annoying the people who tried to enter; it was a fairly good tactic but extremely, well, annoying to be redundant. She bit back a scowl but was appreciative enough to offer up another bow in respect. "Dōmo arigatō."

She didn't have to wait long for the guard to return though it felt like more than twenty minutes had passed until Jaken arrived. He passed through the gates in an almost frenzied state and she couldn't help the little swell of emotion as she saw him again. With a grin she bent down a picked him up in a one armed hug, ignoring by habit his rather rancid smell. "Jakan-san! It's so good to see you after all this time!"

The guards tensed and Jaken was quick to return her hug, though stealthily before pushing at her to be set down. "Let go of me you foolish girl!"

He squirmed in her arm until she released him and even then she could not help but to smile down at him. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed the small toad! Kneeling until they were eye-level, she continued to grin, forgetting her current predicaments and the need for swiftness in her actions. "How have you been Jaken-san?"

His bulbous yellow eyes seemed to become darker for a moment as he stared at her and she was taken aback slightly by the downcast look about him. "Things have been better Kagome-sama. There is much to speak of." He stopped for a moment and continued to stare at her, confused. "Why are you hiding your powers like a poorly dressed whore?"

She grinned and leaned her chin in the palm of her good hand, letting a little bit of magic flow to the tips of her fingers. "Just being precautious. I've never been here before so I wanted to be sure they wouldn't see me as a threat. They might have thought I was going to kill them. You know how you demon act around us miko. Kinda funny really…" She trailed off and with a few muttered words her masking spell was dropped from both herself and the jewel. Her powers spread out around her quickly, as if grasping for breath and leg room. She had to admit, even though they'd only been blocked for a little bit it felt good to have them flowing back out around her again. "Is that better?"

He nodded and turned to walk away, motioning for her to follow. She grinned and grabbed Elizabeth's reins before walking past the guards, smiling cheerily at the two guards who now stood stiff and rigid, staring at her incredulously as her power washed warmly over them, almost soothing. She turned back to Jaken and moved to walk beside him as he led her through the city, smiling at all the youkai who stared at her. "Jaken, where is Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Where have you been for the past twelve years, Kagome-sama?" His voice was as annoying as always but there was also a very subtle hint of concern. He was tense as he walked, the staff of two heads held tightly in his tiny hands.

"So I was right. It's been about twelve years for you all hasn't it? For me…I've been gone for only six." Her words were musing almost as she toyed with the reins, still smiling pleasantly at the youkai. Some of the children were pointing at her as if she was something they'd never seen before; of course, it wouldn't surprise her if none of them had seen a miko before, after all, this was a youkai city it seemed.

They passed through another set of gates into what she assumed was the courtyard to the palace. There was tiny children running around, a harried maid chasing after them. Gardeners tended to the flowerbeds, yelling at the pups if they even attempted to go through the flowers. Guards stood at attention by both the gate and the front doors, as well as atop the gates near the tows, sentries she supposed. If it was this beautiful on the outside she didn't even want to imagine how pretty it was inside. So she barely paid attention as they walked through the rich halls, taking not of only the dark wood and bright screens as well as the fresh, almost clean scent, as if the whole place had been just recently cleaned.

Soon they were in the study and she watched quietly as Jaken through up what she assumed was a sound barrier. So then everything was as she thought; Sesshoumaru was missing and Jaken had no idea where or how to free him. That just made her job a whole lot harder. "Jaken, where is Sesshoumaru?"

He was standing in front of the fireplace now, his shoulders slumped as he used the staff to support his weight. At this moment he seemed very much his actual age if not older. "That is unknown. He went missing almost two years ago." He turned to look at her, pleading evident in his eyes. He was desperate.

"Kagome-sama, please, you have to find him!" He was suddenly before her, staff on the ground as he prostrated himself in front of her.

She was speechless, staring down at the green little toad and his brown robes, the black hat lying on the floor by his head from the quick movement of bowing. Never had she seen Jaken like this, his pride gone as he so easily begged her to help him. This was not something she ever wanted to see again. Frowning, she knelt before him and pulled him into a standing position as best she could with her one arm and shook him. "Snap out of it Jaken! You don't need to put yourself on the ground in order for me to help. That's why I'm here!"

"But there isn't a trace of him anywhere! He just up and left in the middle of a meeting for no reason and he hasn't come back since! Even the trackers couldn't catch his scent or a trail of where he went! He disappeared off the face of the earth Kagome-sama!!" Tears were streaming down his face, blinding his ugly yellow eyes.

"That's not entirely true," a high voice wheezed as he jumped off of Kagome's head and on to Jaken's nose. The tiny flea sat there easily, grinning up at Kagome. "Hello Kagome! How have you been child?"

A frown formed and she snatched the little bug off of Jaken, squeezing him between her fingers. Now she knew why Inuyasha would get so annoyed with him. The little bugger, no pun intended, was a pest, literally! He didn't even think of what his actions or words might do to others. She sighed and let his now flat body float to the floor; best not to kill him, there might be uses for him yet. "What do you mean Myoga?"

"So offended, Kagome-san! Not even a 'hello' or a 'how have you been' upon our new meeting? Do you not care for my fair self any longer?"

She grabbed him quickly from the floor and squished him again just as he'd re-gained his shape, unable to hold back the small glare. "Just answer the question Myoga!"

He squeaked and as soon as her finger released him he jumped away, surprised at her actions. "Very well. Kagome-san. Quite a while back there were rumors of a powerful youkai being held captive towards the North, far past anywhere you and your group have traveled. It was also said there was a demon who held all of the Shikon no Kirara." He looked at the miko again, contemplating. "You would not be able to go on your own, not in that condition. It would take you a good two months to get there with your human speed." Turning to Jaken he nodded subtly. "It'll have to do. Jaken, call in the armor and have him find the armor Lord Inuyasha's mother was given when she first came here. I'll go make sure she has a guard and an escort who will not mind being around a human."

Jaken seemed surprised by the orders but something else seemed different as well, as if a spark of hope suddenly was there giving him the strength he needed to keep going. He didn't bother to object to the small flea demons orders but merely did as he was told. It seemed Jaken was the type who needed someone to tell him what to do?

Kagome stood still, staring silently out the window. So the pull to the north had been what she'd thought it was. But as soon as she'd stepped out of the Western Lands the draw had disappeared so she'd headed back and got caught in the fight with the Oni. But Sesshoumaru was possibly in the north as well as the rest of the Shikon shards? Did that mean she would be able to finish this faster than she'd thought? Or was everything going to go downhill from here? She was struck by thoughts of inadequacy at the thought and wondered why the fates had left such a world-changing task to her, a girl who knew close to nothing about the feudal era? It didn't make any sense! What if she messed up and Naraku was able to get all of the jewel? Or if she died and no one knew, allowing everything to continue in this awkward shift in time? And if Inuyasha and the others really weren't dead then where were they?

The door closed behind her and Kagome quickly pushed those thoughts away. Thinking about things like that would not do her or anyone else any good! It was better to concentrate and do things like always than to look at the downside of everything.

She sighed and turned to see who had entered; it was the taller of the two guards from earlier and he did not look at all happy to be there. He held his helmet against his side, his spiky short orange hair glistening slightly from sweat under the bright sunlight flooding the study. He glared at her out of those icy blue eyes of his and Kagome could not help but to smile back; call it a reflex. That seemed to throw him off guard slightly but he did nothing to return her affection, merely stepped to the side of the door and wait. Well, here was that rudeness again. Or perhaps he was under orders not to speak? That could make sense especially seeing how stiff Sesshoumaru seemed around other people. Oh well; chances were if that were true there would be no getting him to speak.

Turning away from him she moved over to the nearest book shelve and studied the books or at least looked like she was. In reality she was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear it when another person entered the room and jumped when they tapped her on the shoulder. Without thinking she spun and grabbed the persons wrist and twisted it behind their back, careful to not let out any miko power. She came out of her daze when the person in her arms let out a gentle laugh and quickly released the other woman when she realized the girl was posing no harm to her.

"I apologize Milady, for surprising you. I am Mimoru. I was sent by Jaken to take a look at your arm?" The young demoness was quite beautiful, with her shimmering black hair and pale jade eyes, skin so dark she looked almost native American and nearly as tall as the guard on the other side of the room. There was laughter in her eyes.

Kagome warmed to the girl immediately and nodded, offering up a sheepish smile and a bow. "Sorry. I just can't seem to let my guard down even when I want to."

"Its fine Kagome-san, no harm done." Mimoru motioned to the couch behind them and sat down. "If you could untie your sling I can take a look at what you've got there?"

"Of course," she replied as she took a seat as well and reached behind her to untie the sling.

Mimoru took her arm gentle and unclasped the splint, carefully examining the break. It had been set properly and was nicely on its way to healing. But the miko would not be able to wield a weapon for quite some time and judging on the clothes she wore it was not a good thing. She sighed happily. Finally she would get to use that new potion she ordered. Grinning just a bit manically Mimoru set Kagome's arm back down in her lap and pulled the girl forward to unwrap the bandage around the rest of her arm. The cut too was healing well but there wasn't really anything else she could do to speed along the process so she re-bandaged it quickly and neatly, excited to use her new potion. She didn't say a word as she left the room quickly, leaving behind a very stunned and confused girl.

Kagome blinked and then Mimoru was gone. Such a hyper woman. And she would swear there was some kind of glint in the woman's eyes as she left. She shivered, scared for a reason she could not understand as she leaned back into the couch cushions. Mimoru had not put the splint back on her arm and so she couldn't move it yet unless she wanted to put the splint back on herself? Hmmm. Deciding it might be best to wait for her to come back she closed her eyes and contemplated just about everything, interrupted again by the hyper demon woman, this time attempting to force something down her throat.

"What in the world are you trying to do?!" she yelled in surprise as she jerked away from the woman and her smoking blue potion. The stuff smelled rancid and the smoke drifting out of the top looked ominous. No way was she drinking that until she knew what it was!!!

Mimoru looked at her like she was stupid and advanced on the poor girl, a wicked grin on her face. She could sense the amusement coming off the Inu youkai guard behind them and couldn't help but to smile. Just wait until he had need of the stuff. "It's a potion for demons to accelerate healing. Instead of waiting a year for your arm to heal it will be no more than a week. And your whole body should become temporarily stronger for about a week." She advanced again and grabbed the girls uninjured arm, jerking her forward until she could wrap an arm around the waist and hold her still. Before Kagome could stop her she poured it in her mouth and forced the girl to swallow.

She sputtered and grimaced, trying to spit out the nasty stuff but the concoction stuck to the inside of her mouth and the back of her throat giving her no choice but to swallow. Glaring at the other woman she allowed a small bit of her purification to come into her finger tips and grabbed Mimoru's arm, pushing her away. "Why didn't you let me take it on my own? What aren't you telling me?!"

The healer grinned wickedly and set her hands on her hips, not at all phased by the burn marks on her left arm. "It was untested on humans."

That stopped Kagome in her tracks and she merely stared at the Inu woman, not fully comprehending. "What do you mean 'untested'."

"Untested as in I've never used it before, not even on youkai." She frowned at the young miko's negative reaction. Why was she being so ungrateful? "C'mon! It's not like you're going to die from drinking an untested potion!"

"YOU DON"T KNOW THAT!!!!!"

"Oh…your right. I don't do I…." She looked disheartened for a moment before another smile formed and she tilted her head to the side as if everything was alright, her thick black hair swaying with the movement. Amusement glowed in her green eyes. "Guess I'll find out won't I?"

Chap. Fin

* * *

A/N – Well, there you go! Sorry 'bout how long it is, I just couldn't find a good place to end it. I tried to keep it in character but I couldn't resist throwing in these OC's. Hope you like 'em!! R&R!!

Review Responses:

Pandora-of-the-south – Well, there's your explanation as to why she sealed the well shut. It seemed like something Kagome would do if she was worried about her family, lol! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

SexyDemonGirl5000 – I'm sorry you hate flashback but they're going to be a vital part of this story, lol. I hope that doesn't keep you from reading!!

Lady Skorpio – Well, wouldn't you be mad if the person you'd been waiting for five hundred years didn't tell you the truth about their origins and on top of that tells you they'd only been waiting for six years, wouldn't you be hurt and mad?

Myth Whisperer – Sorry it took me so long to update! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last.

Fire Tenshi – Thanks!

Kakashixangela – When he said 'how long?' he was referring to how long it had been since she'd last seen him. Whereas he'd been looking for her for a good five hundred years, she hasn't been looking for him and has only been gone six. Make sense?


	4. Damascus

Chapter Three:

Life was determined to screw her over. That's all there was to it. And she was sure Fate had the most damnable time playing with her life. This is what she was thinking as she stared in horrified fascination at her blue hand. Blue. Her skin was freaking blue! A smurf. That's what she was now. A damned smurf!

"Mimoruuuuu!" she screamed, fisting her towel around her chest with her free hand as water dripped into puddles around her feet.

Almost instantly the striking Amazon demoness was standing before her and even she looked a little stunned. "You're…blue," she said after a moment, dragging her eyes over the exposed skin Kagome was showing.

Now normally, Kagome considered herself a patient person and when somebody stated the obvious, she usually just laughed and pointed out the obvious as well. But now….well, for Christ's sake, she was BLUE. There was patience and then there was sainthood. Neither of which she had at the moment. Close to losing her temper, she completely forgot about the towel she was holding up and grabbed Mimoru by the front of her shirt with both hands. "Fix it!" she growled, her powers swirling up around her.

Mimoru simply smiled serenely at her. "I'm afraid I can't Kagome-san."

"Gaahhhh!" Without warning her power swirled up around her, floating electrically dangerously.

It was at that moment that Jaken and Nao, the older of the twin guards, entered the bath house. Everything stopped then and all eyes turned to Kagome. Later, Kagome could swear it was so quiet she could have heard a pin drop. Here she was standing buck naked yelling at Mimoru and two men were staring at her; she was just as stunned as they were. And then the surprise passed and she darted down for the towel, her eyes screaming with embarrassment. Her power was growing stronger around her and with the red from her blush and the pure pink of her purity; it gave her skin a violet cast in combination with the blue color.

"Out. Now." It was all that needed to be said and whatever Jaken and Nao were there for was not important any longer. All that mattered was getting out of the room with the crazy miko. Stat. Even Mimoru left with a parting amused glance in her direction.

Left alone again, red from humiliation and disconcerted by her blue skin, Kagome muttered a few curses, trying to calm herself down. Okay. Blue skin. No big. So Jaken and Nao saw her naked. Okay. She could handle that. But so help her god if either of them mentioned it to a single living soul, Kagome swore they'd never see the light of day.

With that thought in mind and determined to give them threatening glares, Kagome strode over to the table on the other side of the bath house and examined the clothing Jaken and Myoga had chosen for her. A pair of black leggings and black knee-high boots; then there was a bolt of black fabric that Mimoru had told her would be to wrap around her abdomen and chest and it would work in three ways. First, it would support her breasts, second it would act as an undershirt and third and most important, it was made of fire-rat hair and would protect her from almost anything. There were two small pieces of black fabric that she assumed were for her arms. Beside all of that was a white top and it had the same red Sakura pattern of Sesshoumaru's outfit. It hung down to the middle of her thighs and was baggy; the sleeves hung five inches past her finger tips and were perfect for concealing weapons. The last piece to the outfit was an obi to tie around her natural waist so that it wasn't baggy. It was a pale blue and dark goldenrod color, the opposite combination of Sesshoumaru's and it tied in a neat bow behind her.

It was probably the prettiest outfit she'd ever seen but also the most practical they could have given her. Toweling dry, she slowly pulled the clothing on, taking her time to make sure she was completely calm. As she changed, her thoughts drifted to the past two weeks.

Although Mimoru had said the potion would take about a week to heal her arm, the vial stuff had done the job in just a matter of days with little to no effects. Until now anyway. After making sure that her arm was indeed fit to fight, Kagome had spent the past week sparring with Nao in order to associate herself with his style of fighting. He was to be the one traveling with her to the north. If she hadn't been sparring with Nao, the two of them were with Jaken and Myoga, planning.

Kagome was happily surprised to see that Nao was perfectly willing to help her once he found out that Kagome was trying to save Sesshoumaru. And after they'd gotten past that barrier, he'd opened up to her like an oyster offering its treasure. He was intelligent and quick witted and he seemed willing to ignore her innate human weakness. Gee, how nice of him. She rolled her eyes at that thought. They would learn eventually, she was sure, but until then, it was just a matter of patience. And when she found Sesshoumaru, they would have to have a talk about his little treating humans like dirt thing.

She and Nao would go to the North and the castle of the Lord who was suspected of holding Sesshoumaru. When they arrived, Kagome would pretend to be a reki-demon, a demon whose soul was trapped in the body of a human. It would be their best bet of getting into the castle without suspicion and if they happened to feel a little bit of miko ability, it could easily be amassed to the reki-demon, in other words, her. And she'd be able to get away with it.

o.O.o

When she found Jaken and Nao in the library, Mimoru nowhere to be seen, she sent them a look just daring them to say a word about either her blue skin or what they'd seen in the bath house. Showing a bit of self-preservation, they both kept their mouths shut on those particular topics.

They were standing in front of a table, speaking in low tones and examining what looked to be a hunk of…something. Kagome couldn't tell what it was from the doorway but after stepping further into the room and moving to stand in front of the table, she could tell it was some kind of bone. She still couldn't tell what it was though. Before she could even ask, Jaken motioned to it.

"This is the armor worn by Lord Sesshoumaru's mother and Lord Inuyasha's mother, after he was born and before she passed, respectively."

Kagome didn't particularly understand why the deceased human needed armor as a lady, or rather, a consort to Sesshoumaru's father. Why would she even have needs to leave the castle walls? But she didn't voice those questions and instead examined the armor. It was a bleached pale white and looked to be really thin but if there was one thing she knew about demon weaponry and armor it was that looks were almost always deceiving. This armor was probably the strongest she could get. Leaning closer to it, Kagome could see thousands of tiny little lines and at first she assumed they were cracks. But when she ran her fingers over the smooth surface, she could trace tiny little Sakura blossoms. It was beautiful in an almost deadly way. And she didn't doubt it would protect her from just about anything.

A small grin formed, filled with determination and an inner purity that belied her true miko nature. She glanced up at both Jaken and Nao. "We leave at dawn."

o.O.o

The sun shone brightly over head, heat beating down on their backs as the moved quickly across the field. He was breathing heavily underneath her and she could feel his heart like the steady, hectic pattern of rain, even as he ran. Carefully, she sat up a little from her place between his shoulder blades and tapped him gently on the forehead. It was her signal to stop.

He continued on for a few moments until they reached the woods. Then, obligingly he slowed to a stop. She dismounted and watched in awe as he slowly morphed back to human form, his beautiful orange-yellow fur disappearing until he was standing on two legs and human again. He raised a questioning brow at her and Kagome just smiled. "You need to rest Nao. You've been running for two straight days."

He returned her smile, though he looked mildly amused. "You are aware My Lady, that demons do not need as much rest as humans do…"

She took a step closer to him and let a little bit of her senses become visible until pale pink tendrils were gently floating out around her. "And are you aware Nao, that as a Miko, I can sense when someone is tired? Even if they're too arrogant and prideful to admit it?"

A blush actually rose on his cheeks and Kagome grinned. Happily, she patted him on the shoulder and spun away to lean against a giant boulder, dropping down until she was sitting in front of it. "Rest. You know you need it. And I'm perfectly capable of keeping guard while you get a little shut eye."

And that was that because as much as he wanted to push on, she was right. He was exhausted and Nao knew there was no point arguing with her. Or rather, there was no point arguing with a woman; his sister had taught him that very important fact. Shaking his head, he nodded at the woman. "Very well, My Lady, as you order."

Kagome grinned triumphantly at him and only when he was sitting down across from her, leaning against his own huge boulder, did Kagome let her true feelings show. She was nervous and scared and restless and though riding on Nao had been exhilarating at first, the only thing she wanted to do was stretch her muscles and move. And the only way to do that was to dance or fight. After just ordering him to sleep, the last thing Kagome could do was ask him to spar with her. That in mind, she carefully pushed herself to her feet and after throwing a skin tight shield around Nao, she stepped a little ways away from the clearing.

It would have been beyond stupid to use her iPod and completely block her hearing and so she was left with the choice of imagining the music; not that she had her iPod anyway. She was pretty sure it was sitting on her desk back in the future. Oh well. It was like pulling on an old skin, slipping back into something familiar and loved. She moved with the grace and the balance, the elegance she'd been born with, throwing everything into it, from ballroom dancing to contemporary, right down to hip-hop and ballet.

She didn't notice that Nao was watching her, so caught up dancing was she. And Nao couldn't even think of the words used to describe her motions. It was nothing he had ever seen before and though the movements were odd and unfamiliar they were not ugly and alien. There was almost something enchanting about them. With ease he fell asleep watching her.

And still she was oblivious as she moved across the ground, kicking up dirt with each graceful arch, jump or dip. For the first time in weeks Kagome allowed herself to completely immerse herself in the dancing, to not even think about anything else, all of her senses focused completely on the exhilaration of the present. And that was her mistake.

Something slammed into her from behind and knocked her to the ground. And then there was stinging pain in her head before she could even react, before her powers could even protect her. Darkness.

o.O.o

_She was covered in nasty, goopy spider guts and that was the only thing she was paying attention to. So when her friends gathered around her, their faces incredulous, Kagome didn't notice until Shippou was tugging on the hem of her shirt, which he could reach at this point. "What is it Ship?" she asked, stopping her inner groans momentarily to look down at her furry little friend._

"_Kagome! That was so cool!!! You were like bam—and then wham! And then Kapow!" He was jumping up and down in his excitement, childish hero-worship evident._

_Before she could answer, Inuyasha pushed the kit aside and took a step closer to her, what she was sure was supposed to be a menacing glare, but it really wasn't all that scary; after all, she'd been hanging around Sesshoumaru by this point. "I'm not going to ask where in the hell you learned to fight like that. I'd recognize that style anywhere," he growled, his lips turning into a snarl. "Why the fuck is my brother teaching you to fight?!"_

_At this point in their travels, considering Shippou's age, Kagome had been trying to keep cursing to the minimum. Out of habit she said, "Sit!" and Inuyasha went crashing into the dirt in front of her, nearly pulling her and Ship down with him. She took a step back and Shippou followed, holding onto her hand while snickering._

_A few minutes passed and still Sango and Miroku hadn't said a word. Glancing at them, Kagome tried to quell the jealous urge inside of her as they presented a united front. They had long since committed to each other, and tiny silver bands glinted on their left ring fingers. A sputtering cough brought her attention back to Inuyasha and holding back an impatient, slightly upset sigh, she turned back to him. _

"_Answer the question Kagome," he said quietly, his eyes darting down to Ship who was still shaking with laughter beside her. "Why are you training with that….bas…jerk."_

_This was the question she'd been waiting for, the one confrontation Kagome hadn't been looking forward to but had somehow managed to avoid all this time. She understood very clearly that Inuyasha would consider this a betrayal. "Because you guys wouldn't. And I was always getting in the way---"_

"_That's not true!" cried Sango, taking a step forward with her hand raised, her face stricken. _

"_Yes it is," she said, taking Sango's hand in an effort to ease her guilt. "Remember 3 summers ago when you got hit square in the chest with a club from an Oni because you were trying to protect me? And you Miroku," she added before he could interrupt, "You almost died using your wind tunnel trying to defend me from Naraku." They both looked a little sad, but there was nothing Kagome could do about it; neither of them could deny that those injuries and many more had been on behalf of her protection. Inuyasha fehhed and looked away from them all. He couldn't say anything. Almost all of his major injuries came from protecting her all those months before._

"_That's no excuse!" he yelled, bulldozing through her argument like it hadn't existed in the first place. "You don't know what he's capable of!! He's a cold-blooded murdering ass and he wouldn't hesitate one moment to kill you! How could you want to be around him!" _

_He finished his sentence only because her temper had got the better of her and she was too stunned to stop him. "Shut up!" Kagome screamed, so pissed she couldn't even think straight as she took a threatening step forward and poked him in the chest. "You don't know the littlest thing about your brother! He's more of a gentleman than you've ever been! And he doesn't tell me that I'm weak just because I'm human, or that the only thing I'm good for is detecting shards! He treats me with respect, and doesn't criticize me for making a mistake. AND HE DOESN'T TRY TO MAKE ME INTO SOMEONE ELSE!"_

_By now, his ears were held tight to the sides of his head and his face was red with anger. Before he could say anything, Miroku took a step forward and set his hand on her arm. "Kagome-sama…I'm sorry, but Inuyasha is right. Lord Sesshoumaru has tried on many accounts to kill not only you, but the rest of us. You can't be sure that he isn't trying to use in order…."_

"_Yes, I can. I can be very sure," she said stiffly, taking a step back from them. Of course Kagome understood why they didn't think she was the sanest person, after all, she was associating with someone whom they considered an enemy. But after two years of running into Sesshoumaru and learning more about him, and being taught how to fight and any other number of things he had taught her about this time… "Because I made a blood deal with him." _

_Sango gasped and looked horrified and Inuyasha's face had gotten even redder. Ship didn't say anything, but his grip on her hand got even tighter. "Kagome…," the demon hunter whispered, "Do you even know what that means for a human?!"_

_She nodded, though her expression didn't change. "My death if I don't follow through on my half of the deal." _

_There was silence then and suddenly Sango burst into tears while Inuyasha was stammering. He turned away from her, too angry she was sure, to bother with anymore remarks. Sango was crying into Miroku's chest and he shot Kagome a sad look over his shoulder as they followed Inuyasha to the camp they'd abandoned earlier for the fight. Beside her, Shippou hasn't said a word; when she looked down at him, he was unusually silent, but he still hadn't let go of her hand. _

_Looking up at her solemnly, he said, "Be careful, Kagome. Please." _

_The smile was hard to form as she knelt down to his level. Out of all of them, Shippou was the one who was standing by her. It was hard to describe how that felt. She pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close. "Oh Shippou, I know. I promise I am." _

o.O.o

It was like waking up with an anvil sitting on her head, the enormous pressure enough to make her want to groan and pass back out. But something inside of her instinctively held that groan in and kept her eyes closed, though she didn't understand why this was important. Slowly, sounds around her began to become more obvious, screaming into focus.

There was raucous laughter all around her, the sound of fire crackling prominent and coming from all sides. Keeping her eyes closed made all her senses strong and absently she wondered if that was normal. There was something coarse tied around her wrists and ankles and the stench of smoke was strong in the air, stinging the inside of her nose and the back of her throat. Wiggling a little in what the girl hoped was unnoticeable, she realized there was someone behind her, tied up as well. She could feel his hands next to hers, his back pressed against hers. He squeezed her hands suddenly and she knew he was on her side.

Finally, she opened her eyes and it was so hard not to start panicking. There was one standing right in front of her, his face only inches away. Unable to help herself, she gasped when he grinned at her, showing short, pointy looking teeth that no doubt could dig easily into flesh. And his skin was blue. Which, come to think of it, as she looked down at herself, so was hers? Now that didn't make any sense.

He was ugly, drool dripping down his chin as he licked his lips. The whites of his eyes were yellow, so were his teeth and his nose was flat against his face, like a snakes. She shuddered and the creature grinned again. "Food," it said and before she could do anything, he was yanking her up, his claws digging into her arms as he pulled her away from whoever it was she was leaning against.

For a moment she was terrified and she couldn't help it as tears began to build in her eyes. They were going to _eat_ her! He was dragging her closer to the fire, cackling all the way as she struggled against him. Would they really throw her in the fire? Just as they reached the hot pit, the man she'd been tied with yelled. "Kagome-sama!"

It was like having a shock go through her. She hadn't even realized she didn't know her name, didn't understand what was going on. How could she not know her name? And then everything came rushing back with that little reminder and Kagome shuddered, so very tempted to stop and remember everything but instinctively she knew that the only important thing right now was her and Nao and the fire she was close to being thrown in.

But the creature didn't do what Kagome thought he was going to do; instead of attempting to toss her body into the fire pit, he sat her down in front of it and sat down next to her. All around the fire male and female creatures were grinning at her. It didn't make any sense until the one who'd dragged her over pointed at her skin. _They think I'm one of them_, she thought, somewhat hysterical and yet able to see the irony of the situation.

It took a moment for the hysteria to pass and for Kagome to be able to think clearly. _They think you're one of them girl_, she thought quickly, running the thought continually through her mind, _so use that to your advantage_. They seemed to be comfortable around her, continuing whatever it was they were doing. It looked like they were eating and talking, but their actions were so barbaric and their words in a language she didn't understand but what they were eating caught her attention very clearly. It was _human_.

Whatever thoughts she'd had of letting these creatures live very quickly faded away; whatever they were, they were eating humans; very likely they'd killed said humans.

Hesitantly, she glanced behind her at Nao only to see that he wasn't there and was instead being dragged over to one of the other creatures who was grinning manically with some kind of long knife in his hands. He was fighting valiantly against his captor, but bound by what she guessed to be some kind of yōki-proof rope. The creature dragging him looked to grow annoyed and used the knife in his own hands to slam into Nao's temple. It wasn't hard enough to knock him unconscious but she could tell it definitely dazed him. They were going to kill him and most likely eat him.

Terrified, Kagome knew she couldn't let them do it. These things were _evil_. Before anything could stop her or pull her back down, Kagome clumsily pushed herself to her feet, thankful that they hadn't bound her lower limbs as they had Nao's. She ran as quickly as her short legs could carry her and slammed her entire body into that of the one with the knife closest to Nao. In his surprise, he moved to stab her and ended up landing on his knife instead. It was a kill hit.

Instantly she dropped to the ground and raked her bound hands under Nao's claws, stretching them as the ropes dropped to the ground. Even as she moved to stand, the other one with the much nastier looking knife yanked at her arm and pulled her upwards. She could feel him raising him arm to stab her, but he never got the chance as she called on her powers and his ashes dropped to the ground, followed shortly by the long blade. By now most if not all of the other creatures were standing, staring warily at her.

Nao was focused again, though his head still hurt. "My Lady, quickly, you must free me."

Quickly Kagome dropped to the ground again, reaching blindly for the knife and drawing it over his bonds once she had it. They both stood slowly, fully aware of the danger. They were surrounded now, the creatures grabbing for weapons at the crude looking belts around their waists.

"What are they?" she asked, even as she felt power begin to warm her. Kagome couldn't recall ever seeing these kinds of creatures in her travels through the past.

"We call them Gremlins, but no one really knows their name or what they are. They just appeared out of nowhere about 5 years ago. In the West alone they've slaughtered too many villages to count. They feed on humans, so the youkai weren't really concerned about them. Until the Gremlins apparently found the perfect food source."

She could hear the disgust in his voice but was mainly focused on the Gremlins, watching them, preparing herself for the fight. But they seemed perfectly content to just stand there and watch. "What?"

"Children. They went after children specifically, no matter if they were youkai, human or something else."

The answer was easy, the hatred obvious. "Then they deserve to die. Anyone who wipes out innocence like that does. How do they fight."

"There is no organization from what I've been told, but they're almost militant in their battles, as if it's instinct for them to do so."

"We should find the leader. Get rid of him and they won't know what to do. Or did I misunderstand?" She glanced at him but still tried to keep most of her attention on their would be attackers.

"I wouldn't matter. They will fight until they die or we do. It's how they are. Will you be able to handle it My Lady?" He was referencing the wound at the back of her head which, until that point, she'd managed to ignore.

"I'm fine, Nao," she answered, smirking a little. Best not to let him know how worried about this she actually was. As soon as they finished the fight and there was little peace and quiet, she would take the time to write this in her journal.

"Very well My Lady. Prepare yourself then."

o.O.o

"What do you think she's doing?" asked a young voice, though it wasn't anywhere near as young as it once had been. Still, there was worry evident in his voice.

"Fighting," said another voice, this one gruffer and just as worried.

"She'll be okay, right?" This one was female, and she sounded tired but hopeful.

Nobody answered at first, but then another male answered, different from the first one and the child. He was calmer, with a tint of wisdom to his slightly aged voice. "Of course she will. She's had 12 years to get stronger."

o.O.o

One room over, Sesshoumaru was on high alert. He didn't understand why he could sense the Miko's powers so fully, or understand her temperament better than she could at the moment. But it had been like that sense she'd appeared and he wasn't going to let it go again. She owed him an explanation, at the very least. If not for her, he wouldn't be in this situation. If only he hadn't found her in the woods all those years ago, practicing what he recognized as a western styled dance; she'd piqued his interest then and it had all gone downhill from there.

He stiffened, his thoughts jerking back to the present as he felt a huge surge of power wash over him and he grimaced. She wasn't being at all subtle about making her way here. No doubt if he could feel her, so could Naraku. And that didn't bode well for her at all.

o.O.o

_It's me again. I just thought you should know this. Every time I write a letter to you, I can never figure out how to address it. Sometimes I add a Dear to it; others I write just your name. And occasionally, if I'm in a good mood, I'll use the nickname I gave you, the one you say you hate but I know you really like. But then, just as I'm doing now, I decide to leave it blank and just say what I need to say. As you read this, you probably don't really care how I address my letters to you, I know that very clearly, but I can't help but to hope and wish that you did. _

_You might think this is silly, but after being away for so long, I've accustomed myself to thinking that if I was going to see any of them again, anyone from my past, it was going to be you, my once enemy. Now I don't know what to call you. Enemy? No. We've gotten past that I would hope. Friend? Maybe not. Somehow I feel we're more than that. I dare not write the last possibility because it terrifies me, in all honesty. I'm not sure I could face that rejection from you, much as I handled it so well before._

_You'd probably think I'm a coward, huh? Not even able to face you when I give you this admission. You might be right. I was never sure how you would react to this but I knew there would be pain; more from you than from me. But you wouldn't show me that, would you? Ever the stoic, strong, silent type. And I think I would be okay with that. I'm not sure I could handle the pain I'm going to cause you, no matter how much I might deserve it._

_You see, the one thing I never told you before I started this journey, was the crucial part of how I was able to do what I needed to do. And it's why, once this is all finished, I'll have to go back. I'm from the future, my friend, where everything you could possibly dream of, is reality and what I live with on a day to day basis. I've made my way there, working hard, but nary a day has passed without a thought of you and what my goal was, still is, and will be. You probably won't even read these until after I'm gone, because I'm too scared to give them to you. But it's the only way I can I'm sorry in advanced for the pain I'm going to cause you._

_Always thinking of you, _

_Kagome._

o.O.o

"This isn't necessary, My Lady," he said quietly, wincing only slightly as she poured some kind of liquid onto the wound.

Ignoring him, Kagome continued to clean the knife wound, before methodically wrapping it in a bandage and tying it in a clean knot. "I don't care. You wouldn't have gotten it if you hadn't pushed me out of the way."

"And Lord Sesshoumaru would have my head if I allowed any more injury than you already have."

"A few bruises and scrapes aren't anything to be worried about," she muttered, glaring at him as she sat back on her haunches. "The only reason I'm not giving you any stitches is because they'd hinder your healing more than help it. So stop telling me not to worry about you, got it?!"

He smiled a little but nodded. "Understood, My Lady."

Rolling her eyes, she stood fully and moved to the other side of the fire. "You should get some rest while you can. It'll be dawn in a few hours and we need to leave by then." She saw the look he gave her and watched as he started to object. "Don't even try it. I can't sleep right now, not with this concussion." Her eyes darkened a little as another thought occurred to her. "And I won't make another mistake."

Nao watched her for a moment, before nodding slowly and leaning back against the boulders he'd occupied earlier in the day, before everything had gone downhill.

As she watched Nao slowly drift off to sleep, still entirely too tense for her taste, Kagome's thoughts drifted back to the earlier fight, even as she spread her senses out around them for extra protection.

At first the fighting had been appallingly easy and they'd managed to dispose of a good two or three of the gremlins. But then they started to mimic her moves and Nao's and Kagome realized why they were so hard to defeat. Those creatures should have been called mimics, not gremlins. The only thing they couldn't copy was her purification and Nao's Yōki. It was hard to come up with entirely new ways to move in order to fool them, even harder while trying o stay back to back with Nao in order to protect each other. And it was her fault that he got hurt. She'd taken 3 steps away from him in order to finish off one of the gremlins and another one snuck between them, sticking a knife through Nao's shoulder. She'd purified him immediately of course, but it hadn't stopped Nao from getting hurt.

Angry and worried beyond control, she screamed and before Kagome could stop it from happening, power poured out of her, purifying the remaining creatures as soon as it touched them.

Now, sitting in front of the fire, Kagome was wary and tired and the only thing she wanted more than to go to sleep was to go back home in her own bed and sleep there. And then stay there with the present Sesshoumaru and completely forget about her duties here in the past. But lord knew that was the wrong thing to do. Finding Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and the rest of the gang was the most important thing, followed only by defeating Naraku. And then she wasn't sure what she would do. With her goals here in the past finished, what was left for her? She understood clearly that her place was in the future, but what could she do there that would be of equal importance to what she was doing here?

Sighing, she closed her eyes for a moment and unbidden, Sesshoumaru's face came to mind. It was so very tempting to keep them shut and to focus on him, but Kagome didn't want a repeat of earlier today. Swallowing the annoyance and the temptation, she opened her eyes and turned her attention to the dancing flames before her, counting on them to keep her awake.

o.O.o

"Stand still Nao! I can't focus with you jittering about like that!" Kagome scolded, blinking open one blue eye to glare at him.

"This is highly uncomfortable My Lady," he muttered, forcing his hands to stay still at his sides and his feet to remain firmly planted on the ground.

"Shut-up. Don't you think I know that?" Closing her eye again, the girl muttered a few small words and then quickly smoothed her fingers along beneath his eyes, using a small illusion to make them look larger than they were. Then came the nose and the lips and the jaw bones. She'd already changed his hair to black and his once blue eyes to brown. As far as her own disguise went, she now sported Nao's orange locks and eerie silver eyes, as well as the facial structure of a westerner. "Do you remember the plan?"

He sighed and glanced down at her, but her eyes were still closed as her fingers roamed over his face. "My name is Roki and I am half-Japanese, half-English bear youkai and your body guard. Your name is Lyra and you are a full English soul demon. We are here from the West as visitors to learn more about the culture in order to tell our home-land more about them."

"Good. And do you remember the code word to drop the illusions?" She took a step back from him and opened her eyes, letting her hands drop to her clothes. With a touch here and there they resembled the many English style clothes she'd learned about in her history classes back home.

Rolling his eyes at the young woman, Nao nodded. "Yes, My Lady, I remember the word." It was the name of Lord Sesshoumaru's brother's sword, Tetsusaiga.

"Roll your eyes all you want Mister, just watch what you say when they let us in. You can't say it in front of anyone else, otherwise they'll realize we lied and hid our appearances and then likely kill us. Which can't happen because we aren't even for sure Fluffy-sama is here."

He nearly choked at the nickname but otherwise kept quiet. The last time he'd contested her naming and tried to explain about the giant fur on his shoulder, she'd glared at him and proceeded to point out that he'd never been quite as close to the Lord as she had. And he'd been too surprised by the allegation about his Lord to say anything. Wisely, he kept his opinions to himself this time around. "Yes, My Lady."

"I'd tell you to stop calling me that….but it's actually necessary here in order to pull this off." She smiled at him and finally took a step back, laughter evident in her eyes. "So keep up the good work, ne?"

o.O.o

"I present Lady Lyra from the Continental West with her protector Sir Roki, also of the Continental West." There was some polite clapping as they stood in the entrance to the Great Hall but mainly a good deal of curious looks as they made their way down the hall, Nao following at a sedate pace behind and to the left of her.

When they reached the end of the walkway where two guards stood 20 feet before the throne, she slowly dipped a curtsey and Nao dropped to kneel. "Lord Damascus, thank you for allowing us to visit your stately home."

The Lord inclined his head towards them and smiled handsomely. Kagome could hear some of the ladies in the court swooning at the sight and though she thought the Lord was indeed good looking, he was not to her taste. There was something too commercial, fake almost, about the way he looked. It made her want to distrust him all the more. "It is the pleasure of the Court to welcome the presence of the Lady Lyra," he said smoothly. He motioned to the guards and they stepped aside as he stood from his throne and approached her.

"You are a Reki-Youkai?" he asked, watching her intently as he came all the closer. She could see the fascination swimming in his deceptively handsome features and struggled not to let the disgust show.

"That is correct Lord Damascus."

He was standing right in front of her now, using what Kagome was sure was supposed to be his most charming of smiles, though his eyes were anything but enchanting; more like the eyes of a snake trying to bewitch its prey. "And what does that mean exactly, my dear?"

The pet name irked her and she had to bite her lip to keep from letting that irritation show. "It means that I have a human body but the soul and powers of a demon."

"Well, there is certainly a stench about you," he said quietly, studying her more intently. "Hold out your arm."

She hesitated for a moment but held out her arm when the look in his eyes hardened. He grabbed her wrist and his grip was moist, sweaty in a way that was distinctly uncomfortable. It reminded her of the grips of the 'Mimics,' and of the description in the future of perverts, sweating with want. She grimaced.

"I think a demonstration would do us all well," he said loudly and Kagome could feel the eyes all zero in on her form and that of their Lord. Before she could stop him or even realize what he was going to do, his claws lengthened to deadly looking talons and he slashed at her arm, slicing through fabric and skin to leave a scoring, deep red mark on her arm. She screamed and only self-preservation and fear for his life let Kagome stop Nao from stepping forward. She swung out her arm just in time to have it slap against his chest; he stopped instantly, though the growls emanating from deep within his chest were dangerous and feral.

It was a struggled to remain standing and after a moment, Nao slipped an arm around her waist to keep her steady, though he was still at the ready, fully prepared to rip at Lord Damascus' throat. Closing her eyes, Kagome took a moment to gather herself and summoned a small amount of power to heal the wound from the inside out, so no one could see the pink glow that told of her true powers.

"It is rather disappointing Lady, that you cannot restrain a scream from such a minor wound, nor defend yourself from the attack. Any other Lady in this court would have been able to protect themselves."

Holding her tongue, she kept the attitude of a subservient Lady, making sure to come off as meek and ill-powered. "It is looked down upon for the Ladies in the West to know how to defend themselves. In the eyes of that culture, it is the males job to protect the females. Hence my bodyguard."

He was silent, studying her and, she was sure, searching for lies; he would find none. Not only would he find a surprising lack of any false pretense, but all he would smell from them would be lilacs and oak, from herself and Nao respectively. "I see. And why are you here without a chaperone?"

"Because I don't need one; I am here to learn about these lands cultures, not to meet men."

His lips quirked a little and she inwardly cursed at the hint of interest that was forming in his dark brown eyes. So much for appearing meek and unforward. Absently she wondered if that was even a word. Again he inclined his head at her and she waited. "Very well. We look forward to your stay here then, Lady Lyra." He turned on his heel to walk back to his throne and she looked up at Nao gratefully, thankful for the arm still around her waist, keeping her on her feet.

"That was an interesting intro---

"And Lady Lyra," called the Lord, glancing at her over his shoulder as he passed the guards, "While in my court, you will speak of your home land. I expect to learn quite a bit from you."

Horrified, Kagome realized he didn't believe her story about her homeland. Which meant they were on rockier ground than she had originally thought. "Y-yes, Lord Damascus."

"Good. Welcome to my court then, Lady Lyra."

Chap._Fin_

o.O.o

A/N – So…that was awfully long, yet still shorter than I had originally intended for you all. Oh well. It will work out I'm sure. Thanks for all the reviews and everything! Grr! I forgot to mention...if you see me speaking in 1st person instead of 3rd...let me know. I've been experimenting with writing in the 1 POV and it seems to keep slipping into what I write.

UnknownRandomness – Haha. Here you go. Next Chapter. ^_^

JoJo – Thanks! Hope you think this one is good too!

Shiba-san – Updated. xD

Yumi – xD Wasn't it just? It was totally a blast writing though.


	5. Ally

A/N – A reviewer pointed out to me that there are some similarities between this and the novel/film, A Golden Compass. However closely related the similarities are, I assure you it was not intended and I claim no credit for that film/book or its characters.

Chapter Five:

"Look at that gown!" came a scandalized whisper.

"Look how she flaunts that guard of hers….so disgraceful for a demon. Reki demon or no, she's too humanlike!"

"She's probably only here to try and steal Lord Damascus from us. Ugly foreigner…"

All these whispers and more made their way to Kagome's ears and she had to bite back a grin as she eavesdropped. If they only knew what she was really after, no doubt they'd pounce on her in a heartbeat. Because the Lord she was after was worth ten times as much gold as the one they were after.

At her side, Nao shook his head and pressed a warning hand against the small of her back. "Careful, My Lady." The words were a mere whisper, loud enough only for her to hear. "These ladies are chomping at the bit to get a piece of you, considering you likely knocked a few of them out of favorable positions in this court, with your arrival a few days past."

Allowing him to lead her across the court, Kagome nodded. "I understand. I just find it amusing that they could actually think-"

"Think what, Lady Lyra?"

She tensed and instinctively took a step closer to Nao, to her own detriment. Turning, she watched the predatory smile grow on his face at her show of fear, even as she thought quickly to cover the conversation between herself and Nao. "My guard and I were merely reminiscing about my Court's reactions to my departure; they think me spoiled for taking leave of my family to travel. What say you?"

He was still smiling as he took yet another step closer to her and set a hand on her arm as music started to play, signaling another dance. "I'm afraid I concur with them, my dear. Setting out on your own, abandoning all the creature comforts you were lucky enough to be born with; rather selfish, don't you think? As if you were seeking more than what you were already granted at birth." He turned toward Nao and his eyes went from predatory to condescending. "I'll be taking your Lady for this dance, guard."

Without giving either of them the chance to object, he tightened his grip on Kagome's arm and dragged her out to the dance floor. Holding her as close as the dance allowed but with a tight, dangerous grip, he spun her into the dance. Kagome closed her eyes as the music played and tried her best to ignore her partner, but instincts had her opening them again in time to catch Damascus studying her bit too closely for her liking. Worried and angry but unable to allow either of those emotions to show, she willed a coy smile to form. "Do you find my features so fascinating, My Lord?" It was disgustingly easy to let herself drift back to modern society niceties, which included shameless flirting even if you didn't like the person you were attempting to flirt with.

"On the contrary, dear Lady, your beauty is not what holds my interest." He smiled and though it was still predatory, there was also a charming bit, like an evil prince working his way towards something sinister. Leaning closer to her, he whispered in her ear. "Rather…it is the jewel you keep so cleverly hidden." His grip on her tightened even more and Kagome was certain there would be bruises before the day was over. "You will tell me where it is."

o.O.o

In the past seven days, he had been to fifteen doctors and all provided the same measly answer. With the permission of her mother, whom Kagome had appointed as medical proxy, he had given the doctors copies of the girls CAT scans. She had garnered so many head injuries throughout her time in the Sengoku Jida that she would eventually lose all short term memory and worst case, long term as well.

Snarling, he paced up and down the practice room, hands in tight fists. Why hadn't she told him? Surely, even back before she had disappeared, the miko had known. Would it be fair to add it up to yet another secret kept, yet more trust withheld? Silently, her mother sipped from a bottle of water and watched him. Her presence was the only reason he had not lost total control; there was just enough of the miko's familiarity there that the beast within was soothed. "Why did she not confide in this one?" he demanded, turning to the woman, fierce golden eyes narrowed.

Nadoka smiled gently and set the water aside. She had been watching him for a long while now as he paced holes into the floor, inwardly amused that her young daughter could cause such strife in so powerful a being. "I do not think it was intentionally undisclosed, Sesshoumaru-san."

He snarled and pinched the bridge between his nose, frustrated as the youkai within howled in rage. "How can keeping that knowledge to herself be unintentional? Why does she continually distrust this Sesshoumaru?"

It was the woman's turn to frown and she stood up, setting her hands on her hips as she settled into her lecturing mother tone. "Stuff that anger out of the way Sesshoumaru-san and listen carefully. My daughter has never been one to burden others with what she sees as her weaknesses. She does not like to cause worry and alerting others to her condition would do nothing but. Do you honestly think she likes keeping these things to herself? And what would you have done then, in a time with little to no substantial medical knowledge, to help her? It would have been for naught and from what Kagome told me, she was still learning about _you_." She glowered at him but was unable to hold the look for very long and instead offered up yet another gentle smile. Stepping forward, she set a hand on his arm and squeezed it reassuringly. "Do not think that Kagome does not or did not trust you. After the fiasco with Inuyasha, she keeps her heart well guarded. It is up to you to break past that wall, if you wish to badly enough."

o.O.o

_Sesshoumaru,_

_I saw you tonight and you scared the hell out of me, coming out of the darkness like that. I suppose it was my own fault for listening to music instead of my surroundings but it was another bad day and I've told you before how much the sounds soothe me. I wasn't able to talk about what was really bothering me, not then, so I left and did not give you an explanation but I know you deserve one._

_We were following the trail of a shard today, per usual. Inuyasha caught the scent of fire and blood though and after he told us about it, I knew we had to go there. What we saw today will be forever in my memory; I do not think I will ever be able to see smoke and fire again and not think of what I saw today. There was so much blood….so many screams. There were children there Sesshoumaru, innocents with their throats…Kami. _

_So much life lost. So much death. Over 200 graves we dug and over half of them were less than 3 feet long. We found out later it was an orphanage village of sorts, from a neighboring village. Do not think me wrong for what I am about to say but it is times like this why I can understand that humans from this era wish to destroy all demons. _

_Solemnly, _

_Kagome_

o.O.o

In the back of the court, she smiled. Dark hair curled in ringlets around pale skin to gather against a slender shoulder. Dangerous amber eyes filled with contempt and loathing appraised the scene on the dance floor as she toyed with the strings between her fingers. It was meant to be a toy, a mere play thing to a child but it was so much more entertaining this way. It was so enjoyable to play with all the characters this way. They had no idea who their puppeteer was, who was pulling the strings. She knew every single one of them would think it was one person but they were oh so wrong. Their assumptions would cost them dearly.

Even Damascus, that poor, power crazed demented half breed. He had no idea what her involvement in this production really meant. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself into when he'd accepted the help of the demons who were now merged with him.

Smirking, she pulled harshly on one of the strings and delighted in the spasm of auras around her. There was no way the girl would get out of this alive.

o.O.o

Below the layers and layer of concrete and granite, beneath the slippered feet of graceful women and the music that swept across the ballroom, there were cells. They were long bound with particular magics' to keep its occupants caged, powers useless against the bars and walls, sealing them inside.

In one particular cage, a group had long since lost track of the time they'd spent locked behind iron bars. A red headed child, not so much a child any longer, lounged restlessly against cold stone walls, manacles wrapped around bare feet with pointed claws. His tail was a dank mess of red fur but his vastly sensitive nose had long since become accustomed to the stench of not just his own waste but that of the others in his cell. Often times he wondered if he would ever be able to smell clean air again and if they were ever freed, if his delicate nose would still be able to scent as easily as it had before. This however, was the last thing on his young mind as emerald eyes studied the ceiling carefully, small clawed paws tightened into fists. Licking his lips, he turned to the only other one awake in the room. "She's here," he said softly to the monk.

Miroku, his hand resting lightly in the tangled dark knots of a woman's hair, glanced sharply at the kit, before spreading his own powers. When her aura touched his in a gentle, reassuring caress, he smiled. "That she is Shippou. Would you like to wake the others, or should I?"

Shippou grinned a feral grin and shuffled to his feet, even as he dug into his pockets and pulled out a small toy. His magic did not work against the wards keeping them in the dark cell but it did not stop him from working his yōki within. Tossing it at a certain white haired individual, he smirked, a manic look in his eyes. "Wake up baka-yasha!"

o.O.o

On the dance floor, a woman with tan skin and hair like cream watched the Lord and the reki demon neutrally. Her dark red eyes narrowed as she eavesdropped on the conversation. It had been a long time since she'd heard of that cursed jewel and even just the name of it reassured the young neko of her mission. Taking a step closer to the edge of the dancing, she couldn't help but to prepare herself, cracking long elegant fingers with black tipped claws. She had not seen her mistress in nearly nine years and the beast within her yearned for it, wanted more than anything to rip out the throat of the Halfling who dared hide her. It went against every instinct her kind had to be so long away from their chosen's sides.

Licking her lips, she could not keep her dainty fangs from peeking out and poking slightly into her bottom lip. Behind her, two cream colored tails with black stripes danced wildly in anticipation. It was almost time.

Ch. _Fin_

o.O.o

A/N – It has occurred to me that no matter what my intentions are, I am unable to follow through. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The problem, I think, is that I've been trying so hard to give you readers such long, captivating chapters that I keep putting off my updating. Part of the reason I do this is because my first introductions to fanfiction were these stories with chapters that were 20+ pages and I _loved_ reading that much. There is a part of me that still wants to give those long chapters, to captivate you as I once was but there is a larger part of me yet that wants to update regularly because I love what I've written and want others to see it too. So, from now one, my goal is to update whatever I have as soon as I can. There will be no more waiting for more words to come. That is not to say that there will not be any more long chapters but that I will post whatever I have; anywhere from a few paragraphs to several pages or more. That said, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of Danced and I look forward to reading any and all reviews!


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